a sick room and reading room. However at the other extreme one author in 1842 reported: Having local accommodation for gardening staff was not just a convenience but a necessity. The twelve gardeners in Baron Rothschild’s bothy in France not only worked the 6-till-6 day shift in 1880, but every day one of them was the “night guard” to look after the forty different fires. Another article notes that the gardeners had to be up every 4 hours at night to note the temperatures. Bothy life seems to have been varied, with some of the flavour of a student residence. In some cases gardeners were fined for being untidy and forbidden to sing. Another ex bothy resident recalled gardeners arriving with heavy heart, having left home for the first time, and regretful years later on leaving the bothy. In “A bothy Yuletide” he describes how, despite the necessity for two gardeners to remain on duty over the holiday to bank up the fires, the others accompanied them on their rounds and “the sound of Christmas carols mingled strangely with the rattle of the shovel”. Clearly singing was not always forbidden. Ownership Bothies are usually owned by the landowner of the estate on which they stand, although the actual owner is rarely involved in any way, other than by permitting their continued existence, and by helping with transport of materials. Many are maintained by volunteers from the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA), a charity that looks after 97 bothies in Scotland, the north of England, and Wales. The location of these bothies can be found on the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) website, along with information on how people can help. In popular culture The song Am Bothan a Bh'Aig Fionnghuala ("Fionghuala's Bothy") is a traditional song recorded by the Bothy Band in 1976. Marion Zimmer Bradley used bothies as a pattern for shelters at Hellers mountains in her Darkover novels. The Scottish history podcast Stories of Scotland examines bothy culture, heritage and bothy ballads in its first episode. See also Adirondack lean-to Bolt-hole Bothie (dog) Bothy band Bothy ballad But and ben – a simple two room cottage structure Castaway depot Cleit Mountain hut – building located in the mountains intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers Shieling Vernacular architecture Wilderness hut – rent-free, open dwelling place for temporary accommodation, usually located in wilderness areas, national parks and