Groam House Museum is one of fourteen museums from across the Highlands taking part in Highland Threads. A virtual exhibition showcasing a costume from each museum’s collection.
A 360° video presentation of each costume, including the jumper designed by George Bain, alongside close-up shots of stitching, pattern and texture, aims to provide an experience close to viewing the item in real life.
This two-colour child’s jumper was knitted in the mid-1900s by Claire Lomnicki (née Bain), using a design created by her father George Bain. The all-over angular spiral design is inspired by Celtic art and reflects Bain’s studies in his influential book Celtic Art: Methods of Construction.
Posted: 11 November 2025
Categories: Collection
The First Celtic Art Class in Caithness
By Jo Clements, former curator of the George Bain Collection
George Bain was a big collector of newspaper cuttings, but it is not always clear why he kept the cuttings or how he was involved in the activities being reported.
Take this 1948 press cutting featuring students from Latheron and Dunbeath in a picture of “the first Celtic art class in Caithness” – was Bain involved in the class? Or did he inspire it? Or was he simply interested in any Celtic art?
The newspaper cutting has quite a poor-quality picture in which it is hard to see the details, so I was delighted when I discovered the same group photographed in the Johnston Photographic Collection. Using the clearer image from the Johnston Photographic Collection, we can see that the two cushion covers highlighted in red boxes below are embroidered with the same interlaced design.
This particular design appears on plate 1 of George Bain’s book on knotwork panels – below. This panel is particularly interesting because Bain repeatedly calls attention to the difference between this panel and Pictish panels and states that he has created this simplified design for beginners. The use of this design on the cushion covers made by the Celtic art class shows that they had access to Bain’s work in some way.
Having discovered this link, I went back to the George Bain Collection to see if I could find links to any of the other cushion cover designs made by the Caithness class. Frustratingly, however, although the collection contains a wide selection of embroidery transfers – like those below – I was unable to find any that matched those in the photograph.
So the precise nature of the relationship between George Bain and the Caithness Celtic art class remains a mystery for now – but I am confident that sooner or later someone will find something in an attic in Caithness that will help us to solve the mystery!
Posted: 11 November 2025
Categories: Collection, Research
George Bain and the World Water Speed Record
By Jo Clements, former curator of the George Bain Collection
In September 1952, racing driver John Cobb attempted to break the World Water Speed Record on Loch Ness, near Drumnadrochit where George Bain was living at the time, setting up his College of Celtic Cultures.
In the crowds gathered along the side of the loch, George Bain set up with a sketch pad and conte crayon to record the event. Bain’s sketch from 19 September shows the view from Lower Lenie, cars parked on the side of the road, the roadside fence lined with people, barely space to squeeze between them. John Cobb’s boat, Crusader, is a dart of spray, shooting southwards down the loch (ROMGH.2006.235). Cobb attempted the record on the mile-long course every day for over a week, reaching speeds over 200 mph. It seems that Bain was out at the same spot sketching the attempt on at least one other day from a similar, yet subtly different sketch in the collection (ROMGH.2006.146).
Unfortunately, on 29 September, the Crusader hit an unexpected wake in the water and the boat disintegrated, killing Cobb. The moment was captured on film in this newsreel from Pathé.
Although John Cobb’s body was recovered from the loch and taken to Surrey to be buried, the Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association decided that a memorial cairn should be erected by Loch Ness. George Bain’s design for a plaque for the cairn was chosen by the committee and recommended to Mrs Cobb and John Cobb’s trustees, who approved of the design (ROMGH.2006.61).
The plaque shows the Crusader surging through the water with the text:
On the waters of Loch Ness John Cobb having travelled at 206 miles per hour in an attempt to gain the World’s Water Speed Record lost his life in this bay Sept. 29th 1952. This memorial is erected as a tribute to the memory of a gallant gentleman by the people of Glen Urquhart. Urram do’n treun agus do’n iriosal (honour to the brave and to the humble).
In this plaster cast of the design (ROMGH.1999.362), Bain’s love of Celtic art shows in the interlace border, the subtle interlace integrated into the letters of John Cobb’s name, and the letter forms of the rest of the text. Yet overall, the plaque is restrained – the text sits soberly on a blank background, without the exuberance of pattern and symbol of much of Bain’s other work.
Seeing this piece alongside the rest of Bain’s work in the George Bain Collection somehow increases its sense of gravity, but I wonder whether the restraint was rather a pragmatic decision – Bain knew that his design would have to appeal to people who were not as invested in Celtic art as he was. In contrast, the memorial plaque he designed for his wife, Jessie Mackintosh, five years later, is crammed with pattern.
The memorial plaque was installed on a cairn alongside the road and unveiled by Eileen Holloway, John Cobb’s sister. Bain carefully cut out and kept the newspaper reports (ROMGH.2005.5.8.25.2). You can still visit the memorial cairn today – follow the A82 south of Urquhart Castle and park in the first layby on the west side of the road, the memorial is just across the road.
Posted: 11 November 2025
Categories: Collection, Research
Bain Design Podcast
Imagine having a bright, intricate bowl with a Celtic design as the centrepiece of your home. You would surely want to showcase it, right?
If you had visited the home of Celtic artist and educator George Bain in Drumnadrochit during the 1940s, you would have been amazed by the various everyday household objects that featured this style. Jo Clements, our former George Bain Curator, envisioned what it might have been like to encounter such a bowl in Bain’s home. She also explores the inspiration behind the bowl in the latest episode of the Highland Objects podcast.
Part of design around the rim of the decorated bowl.
Decorated in blue, yellow, red, brown and black, varnished. Plain interlacing decoration inside, with interlaced birds on the outside. Decoration by George Bain. ROMGH.1998.97
Posted: 11 November 2025
Categories: Audio, Collection
Games & Gatherings
In 2009, Groam House presented the exhibition George Bain: Games & Gatherings to mark Homecoming Scotland 2009. The exhibition featured original artwork by George Bain, some of which was displayed in public for the first time.
Although George Bain is best known for his major contribution to the study of Celtic art, throughout his life, he captured people, landscapes, and scenes in a variety of media, including oil painting, watercolour, and printmaking.
After retiring from his position as Principal Art Teacher at Kirkcaldy High School in Fife, Bain embarked on a new chapter of his life in the picturesque village of Drumnadrochit, nestled in the heart of the Highlands. There, he became a regular at the famous Glen Urquhart Highland Gathering and Games.
The Scottish Highland Gatherings are a highlight of the yearly calendar, showcasing a vibrant display of pageantry, ceremony, and Highland culture. The events feature traditional activities such as caber tossing, hammer throwing, Highland dancing, and piping. Both locals and visitors come together to celebrate Highland traditions, heritage, sports, and culture in a colourful and spirited atmosphere.
Drumnadrochit Games, Glen Urquhart Highland Gathering and Games general view. Pastel on paper, 181 mm x 255 mm.
History of the Gatherings The origins of Scotland’s Highland Gatherings are shrouded in history. Centuries ago, Highland games focused primarily on athletic and sports competitions.
By the 1820s, Highland Games were thriving across Scotland. By the mid-19th century, the prestige of these traditional events rose significantly, thanks in large part to the interest shown by Queen Victoria and the Royal Family. The ongoing support of subsequent monarchs further boosted the popularity of the Gatherings, with the Braemar Gathering frequently honoured by their attendance.
Today, while the games are centred around competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, they also feature entertainment and exhibits that celebrate various aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.
Spectators at the Sheepdog trials, Drumnadrochit. Conté crayon on paper, 180 mm x 254 mm.
Dancing
Is there any folk dance as well-known around the world as Highland dancing? People expect a kilted Scot to show off this lively national dance with raised arms and cheerful shouts of “hooch.”
Highland Society Competitions began in Falkirk in 1781. Initially, these competitions focused solely on piping, with the dancing performed by the pipers themselves. However, starting in 1787, dedicated dance specialists were introduced.
Today, Highland dancing, in all its competitive forms, is a highly technical dance style that requires many hours of practice and training over several years to master.
Sketches of Highland dancers. Conté crayon on paper, 255 mm x 182 mm.
Tossing of the Caber
One of the highlights at Highland Gatherings is the Tossing of the Caber. Competitors hoist a long, tapered pine pole called a caber. They balance it vertically, gripping the smaller end, and run forward to toss it so that it turns end over end, landing with the larger end hitting the ground first.
For a successful toss, the smaller end must strike the ground at the 12 o’clock position relative to the run. This achievement is known as “turning the caber.”
Tossing the Caber: sketch of participants. Conté crayon on paper, 254 mm x 180 mm.
Sketch of a piper in Highland dress. Conté crayon on paper, 254 mm x 180 mm.
Pipes
By the 11th century, bagpipes had become a popular musical instrument in Scotland. By the 16th century, each clan chieftain had a hereditary piper who would play tunes commemorating the family’s history. Piobaireachd, or pibroch, is the classic music associated with the Highland bagpipe. After the 1745 rebellion, bagpipes and many Highland customs were banned until 1782. Notably, the first Great Gathering at Falkirk in 1781 featured mainly pipers.
Heavy Events
Highland athletics are often seen as the highlight of the games, with other activities considered mere entertainment. Informal competitions in lifting and throwing large stones, known as stone putting, emerged in farmyards and villages. A notable challenge was lifting the clach cuid fir (Manhood Stone) onto a wall or another stone about 3 to 4 feet high. This was difficult, as the stone typically weighed between 1 cwt (50 kg) and over 2 cwt (101 kg).
Sketch of a kilted games participant. Conté crayon on paper, 254 mm x 180 mm.
Sheep dog trials, Drumnadrochit (Highland Games). Conté crayon on paper, 180 mm x 254 mm.
A popular local event at Drumnadrochit in George Bain’s time was sheep-dog trials. His sketches show a delightful detail of dogs, sheep and bystanders.
The 2009 exhibition, George Bain: Games & Gatherings, was curated by Susan Seright. The text in this post has been adapted from Susan’s original exhibition texts.
For information on Glenurquhart Highland Games see https://www.lochnessgames.co.uk/
Information on yearly Highland Games and Gatherings can be found here: https://www.rshga.org/calendar
Acknowledgements. Groam House Museum wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the following organisations and individuals: The Bain Family, College of Piping (Glasgow), Comunn na Piobaireachd (NZ) Inc, Helen Creasy, Glen Urquhart Highland Gathering & Games, Highland Council, Scottish Conservation Studio, James Watkins, David Webster.
