{"id":7169,"date":"2020-10-25T07:03:14","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T07:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kirstenharrisart.co.uk\/?p=7169"},"modified":"2020-10-25T07:21:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-25T07:21:40","slug":"a-closer-look-a-photo-document-of-lanarks-closes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kirstenharrisart.co.uk\/?p=7169","title":{"rendered":"A Closer Look – A Photo Document of Lanark’s Closes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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There’s so much history on the doorstep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not long after lockdown eased I decided it would be fun to take my eighty something mother, who had been shielding, on a tour of Lanark. She has only recently moved to the area. We decided to make a doorstep adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having once lived in York, I told mum that Lanark\u2019s Closes are like York\u2019s Shambles.\u00a0Lanark\u2019s Closes go back to the Medieval era too, so it seemed a reasonable if exaggerated comparison.\u00a0Lanark’s Closes unlike York or Edinburgh’s Medieval narrow streets have been largely neglected. More buildings are scheduled to be knocked down to be turned into car parking or are in a perilous state! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Sunday morning we had our first outing for months. It was an interesting walk. I took photos. We had a lovely morning looking for history by walking up and down the Closes, first one side of Lanark High street, and then the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Closes, I learned afterwards, are adopted way-throughs by the Council, others not. Other old alleys are now hidden behind locked doors to the High Street, so inaccessible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays Lanark’s Closes seem to mainly lead to carparks. In the past they would have led to workshops and industries including breweries, skin works, rope makers, boot and shoe makers, public houses and more. So much history erased! But the evidence of activity and life through the centuries is still there if you take a closer look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That evening I shared a few photos on my Facebook page and was amazed by the response including The Tolbooth Lanark asking to exhibit the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘A Closer Look’ is this walk. My mother features on the poster for the Tolbooth exhibition, much to her amusement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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