Perth, United Kingdom

The ancient town of PERTH was Scotland's capital in the fifteenth century. Occupying a stregic position at the mouth of the Tay and surrounded by fertile agricultural land and beautiful scenery, it remains a prosperous and bustling market town; today the whisky and insurance trades employ significant numbers.

Two large areas of green parkland, known as the North and South Inch, flank the centre, where the main shopping areas are along High Street and South Street. Perth is at its most attractive along Tay Street, with a succession of grander buildings along one side and the attractively landscaped riverside embankment on the other. On the corner of Tay Street and Marshall Place, Perth's outstanding attraction is the Fergusson Gallery (Mon– Sat 10am–5pm, plus Sun 1–4.30pm May– Aug; free), located in a striking round Victorian sandstone water tower, and home to an extensive collection of work by J.D. Fergusson, foremost artist of the Scottish Colourist movement.