25 June 2026

What Lies Beneath? Pictish Monsters and the Living Frame

Online talk by Heather Pulliam, Professor of Medieval Art, Edinburgh School of Art

Organised by Groam House Museum. Tickets via Eventbrite : £3.96 members and students; £7.21 others). Groam House Annual Academic Lecture.

Medieval art is known for its monsters, but Pictish art seems to take it to the next level. Drawn from my new book, Art, Nature and the Body in Early Medieval Art (Cambridge University Press, 2026), this talk addresses the many questions raised by the monsters that crawl, slither, and climb across the sculptural surfaces of Pictish art. While my focus is primarily on sculpture, building on Victoria Whitworth and Isabel Henderson’s arguments that we might understand the Book of Kells as made in Pictland, my talk also considers the Book of Kells and the Book of Deer. The paper begins by asking what a monster is, and what it means to be monstrous. It then turns to ask: What do Pictish monsters do for Pictish art? Why do they feature on so many monuments, in so many positions on these monuments, including places normally reserved in medieval art for the most sacred and divine figures? Finally, it briefly considers how the settings of these monuments (as much as we can reconstruct them) might help us better understand the role of monsters in Pictish art.

25 June 2026

Crofting Experience Day

To be held at Historylinks Museum and Acheilidh Croft. Bookings via Historylinks website. Cost £95 (limited spaces)

The day will begin at 10:00 AM at Historylinks, where attendees will be introduced to traditional wool working techniques. The Dornoch Spinners and Weavers group will provide live demonstrations of spinning, carding, and peg looming, with opportunities for hands-on participation.

Morag from Catu Living History will demonstrate the importance of native plants for dyeing wool, as simple remedies, and in old folk practises for blessing everyday tasks and warding off misfortune. She will explain how they were used historically and there will be samples for participants to examine.

Participants are required to bring their own packed lunch, which will be eaten at Historylinks before the group boards a mini bus for transport to Acheildh Heritage Croft.

Upon arrival, Angus will deliver an in-depth talk on crofting traditions, covering topics such as animal husbandry (with a chance to meet Shetland cows and sheep), the cultivation of heritage grains like bere (an ancient form of barley), and the importance of biodiversity and peat cutting on the moorland. Angus will also discuss the historical context of crofting life, highlighting the roles of men, women, and children in these rural communities. You will have a rich, educational, and hands-on exploration of historical rural life and crafts.