MACDIARMID’S BROWNSBANK COTTAGE: A SCOTTISH CULTURAL TREASURE
SNP MSP Clare Adamson will lead a Holyrood debate today on the impactful legacy of poet, journalist, and political figure Hugh MacDiarmid.
Hugh MacDiarmid (born Christopher Murray Grieve) 1892 – 1978, is acknowledged to have been Scotland’s greatest poet of the twentieth century, and a Modernist writer of international renown.
The Scottish Parliament debate centres around restoration efforts for Brownsbank Cottage in the Peebleshire Hills near Biggar, South Lanarkshire. Brownsbank Cottage is an A-listed building, most notably remembered as the former home of MacDiarmid and his wife, the writer, Valda Trevlyn.
Distinguished past occupants of Brownsbank also include the award-winning author and publisher, Matthew Fitt, and James Robertson, the inaugural Scottish Parliament Writer in Residence and author of the Booker Prize-nominated, The Testament of Gideon Mack
MacDiarmid’s Brownsbank is a charity working to restore and upgrade the cottage as a matter of urgency, and to conserve the contents. The charity also promotes the works of Hugh MacDiarmid as widely as possible both nationally and internationally and aims to re-establish the Brownsbank Writing Fellowship for writers in residence to work from the cottage.
Ms Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, said:
“Born Christopher Murray Grieve, Hugh MacDiarmid was a poet, a journalist, a political thinker, an agitator, and a catalyst to Scotland’s cultural revival – shaping our country’s identity for over fifty years.
“Hugh MacDiarmid was the greatest Scottish poet of the Twentieth Century and his legacy is indelibly imprinted on our national fabric . His work profoundly influenced Scotland’s political and cultural trajectory, raising understanding of its history, literature and international connections.
“His radical advocacy for unique Scottish identity and culture was a progenitor of what we now know as the Scottish Renaissance.
“He believed that reviving the Scots language in poetry wasn’t just about literature—it was about reclaiming Scotland’s artistic character to assert its independence and revitalise a literature which he saw as weighed down by sentimentality.
“MacDiarmid’s impact is as strong as ever—it continues to inspire new generations. That is why I want people to engage with his work. Even where you disagree, MacDiarmid influence lives on through us, our children, our stories, our poems, our literature.
“We must celebrate that. And that is why I am supporting the charity MacDiarmid’s Brownsbank in their tireless efforts to restore and uprgrade Brownsbank Cottage to give it is due place as a Scottish cultural landmark.
“By celebrating MacDiarmid’s legacy, by protecting and promoting Scottish culture, and by championing emerging talent, we’re not just honouring the past; we’re charting the future.”
Debate Motion
MacDiarmid’s Brownsbank
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