UK Government: New online service opens access to centuries of coal mining history. “This digitised collection brings together detailed maps and plans from former collieries across England, Scotland and Wales, offering an extraordinary view into the history of local landscapes, mining operations, and the lives of the communities who worked within them.”

St. Francis Xavier University: McGregor Family Letters – New digital collection available on StFX Scholar. “This remarkable collection of letters, dating from 1805 to 1842, was donated to the Angus L. Macdonald Library by George and Elizabeth MacKenzie of Truro, N.S. George was a descendent of Malcolm McGregor, who had emigrated from Scotland to Pictou in 1801 with his wife Isobel and two […]

The Drinks Business: Brewery and distillery search engine launches. “A new internet search engine, dedicated to helping put beer and whisky drinkers in touch with some of the best breweries and distilleries in Scotland, will debut this week.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/12/12/the-drinks-business-brewery-and-distillery-search-engine-launches/

BBC: Scotland’s first skatepark to be dug up by archaeologists. “For five years it hosted the country’s finest and keenest skateboarders, witnessing flips and tricks as a new subculture boomed in popularity. Now Scotland’s first ever outdoor skatepark is to be resurrected by a team of archaeologists hoping to preserve the site’s legacy.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/08/20/bbc-scotlands-first-skatepark-to-be-dug-up-by-archaeologists/

Capital Theatres: Celebrating our history with the launch of The People’s Archive. “The People’s Archive is a digital exhibition that celebrates the rich history and cultural legacy of the King’s Theatre. It offers free online access to a wide selection of archival materials from the King’s Theatre spanning more than a century of history. It’s available online so you can immerse […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/10/capital-theatres-celebrating-our-history-with-the-launch-of-the-peoples-archive/

Sky News: Scottish government apologises for ‘cultural genocide’ of gypsy travellers. “Scotland’s First Minister has formally apologised to the gypsy traveller community for the decades of trauma they suffered during the so-called ‘tinker experiment’. John Swinney said the ‘unfair and unjust’ policies, enforced by councils and the UK government between 1940 and 1980, had been ‘unacceptable’.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/06/29/sky-news-scottish-government-apologises-for-cultural-genocide-of-gypsy-travellers/

Stornoway Gazette: New project capturing memories of Scottish whaling communities launched by historian Dan Snow. “Launching on 27 June in Dundee, with help from historian Dan Snow, the Whalers’ Memory Bank is a brand-new living, growing digital time capsule where veterans of the whaling industry, their families and communities have come together to share their stories with a wider […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/06/21/stornoway-gazette-new-project-capturing-memories-of-scottish-whaling-communities-launched-by-historian-dan-snow/

National Records of Scotland: Return of documents after historical thefts. “National Records of Scotland (NRS) has completed the return of thousands of documents that were stolen from its archives and from other UK institutions by a single individual between 1949 and 1980. NRS recovered around 3100 items in total, mainly family, estate and business correspondence, that its archivists believe […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/28/national-records-of-scotland-return-of-documents-after-historical-thefts/

University of St Andrews: Nessie loves a sunny summer’s day – how anecdotes become data. “New research from the University of St Andrews has used a database of Loch Ness Monster reports to translate anecdotes into data, shedding light on statistical biases and the important of defining the right information for analysis. While anecdotes are often dismissed in scientific research this […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/23/university-of-st-andrews-nessie-loves-a-sunny-summers-day-how-anecdotes-become-data/