Worlds collide

I have a twitter account which I use primarily for work purposes. In fact twitter is one of our main work channels and we do a lot of data analysis of our network connections so I'm very careful how I use it. I do follow one or two fangirls and various naval historians but otherwise twitter = work.

So < cliche> imagine my surprise </ cliche> last night when a work associate tweeted "Just met mr fantastic" and posted a pic of him and Ioan Gruffudd in the pub. WTF?! However a quick google suggested that the lovely Ioan happens to be filming Mariah Mundi in Bristol, where my colleague is based. It's not like they're bffs or anything. At least I don't think they are!

(Btw work colleague is the chap on the left, no idea who the other folk are.)

Greenbank House

Today we went for a wee trip to Greenbank House, a Georgian house and gardens on the south side of Glasgow owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The house and gardens were built in 1763 by Glasgow tobacco baron Robert Allason. Allason started life as a baker but made his fortune trading tobacco and slaves between Calabar, the Caribbean, Virginia and the UK. Like many, Allason lost a fortune during the American Wars of Independance and was forced to declare himself bankrupt and sell his new country house at Greenbank.

ETA I've just come across this interesting, and very honest, article Uncovering Mearns History - Greenbank, about how the Allason's connection to the slave trade was rediscovered.

Only two rooms of the house have been restored and are open to the public as the rest are used as NTS offices. The window above the front door belongs to the most gorgeous little sun room on a half landing on the way up to the first floor. I so want a room like that! The gardens were a bit in-betweeny when we visited today, as the spring flowers had passed and the summer flowers weren't quite in bloom. It's a lovely spot though, definitely worth a few return visits.



Greenbank House
( Greenbank gardens )