Upstairs downstairs

Rhunahaorine Primary School children had a very early start as they left Tayinloan to visit Pollok House in Glasgow recently.

As part of their Old Largie Castle project, funded by the West Kintyre Windfarm Trust, pupils researched their family trees. They were keen to investigate more of the current laird’s family, the Maxwell Macdonalds, who own Largie Estate, on which the ruins of Old Largie Castle sit.

Pollok House was gifted to the City of Glasgow in 1966 by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, whose family had owned the estate for almost 700 years. It is now managed by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public.

On arriving at Pollok House, children, parents, grandparents and the teacher were all welcomed by the ‘butler’ and ‘laird’ – actually local volunteers who dress up as house characters.

They treated the children to VIP tours of the rooms where they found out about daily life in an estate house. At one time there had been 45 servants for three gentry.

The children were also given costumes to wear which included laird and lady, butler, under butler, valet, gardener and gamekeeper.

Stephanie O’Hanlon and Emma Byers, two mothers who joined the trip, dressed as maid servants – one with frills as they worked ‘upstairs’.

Rebecca Maxwell Macdonald from Largie Estate welcomed the party at Pollok House and joined them on the tours, which empowered the children to expand their knowledge.

Acting head teacher Catriona Brown said: ‘The visit helped the children make connections in their learning and extended their understanding of upstairs and downstairs.’

Although not going back in time as far as their own

Old Largie Castle ruins, the realisation that very few people would be ‘royalty’ with many more being at their bidding was shaping a picture of early life at Rhunahaorine in the 15th and 16th centuries.

On composing thank you letters for the day, it became apparent that the most popular room visited was the gun-room where the gamekeeper was surrounded by stuffed animals, paintings of hunts, and old fishing rods, guns and traps.

Mrs Brown’s favourite was the governess who had the children actively involved in learning around pictures on the library carpet – a teacher ahead of her time.

Everyone had a day to remember and all were very appreciative to the Maxwell Macdonald family, the Pollok House staff and all the volunteers who remained in character throughout.

Coming soon – Rhunahaorine children explore Killean Crypt.

Pollok House is situated in Pollok Country Park, Glasgow.

Tours were given by volunteers who joined the children in dressing up.

This artist shot, taken by pupil Louise, shows wallpaper which had been taken down from another home and rehung in Pollok House. It now has a screen over it in order to preserve it.

The children dressed up in many costumes, including gardener, butler and valet, as seen here.

The children met the ‘lady’ of the house as well as its staff.

The children photographed with Mrs Brown, Pollok House ‘staff’ and Rebecca Maxwell Macdonald, who joined them on their tours.

The visit took the children back in time.