Poet, artist and gardener Ian Hamilton Finlay was born - On this day in Scottish history

Poet, artist and gardener Ian Hamilton Finlay was born on 28 October 1925 in the Bahamas. Both Finlay's parents were Scottish and he was sent to Dollar Academy until, at the age of thirteen, he was evacuated to the countryside with the outbreak of World War Two.

Finlay's work, whether as a poet, artist or gardener, reflected his fascination with the sea and fishing. He published much of his work through his own company Wild Hawthorn Press and also arranged for some of his poetry to be set in stone.

Finlay was responsible for creating gardens around the world, either alone or in collaboration with others. His passion was his own garden at Little Sparta, his home in the Pentland Hills, where he created sculptures and garden temples in a project which Sir Roy Strong called 'the only really original garden made in this country since 1945.'

Some Ian Hamilton Finlay sculptures and gardens

• Little Sparta, Lanarkshire
• Canterbury sundial, University of Canterbury
• Bridge columns at Broomielaw, Glasgow
• Shell Research Centre, Chester
• Dean Gallery Allotments, Edinburgh
• Paving at the Serpentine Gardens, Kensington

(image copyright Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)