A
happy crew of 25 from Knole DFAS gathered at Gatwick Airport on June 1
to fly to Aberdeen for what became a fascinating journey through some
wonderful physical history of Scotland.
The Castles and Gardens for the most part go hand in hand, but Daluaine
and Pitmeddin gardens stand alone.
One could say ‘Seen one Castle, seen them all’ but..... perhaps not. Though all (except Haddo) were, to a
greater or lesser extent, built as fortified houses, the families that
lived in them for so many years put their indelible stamp on each of
them. The Medieval portions of
the buildings exhibit enormous solidity and fortitude, Drum being a
fine example. Later additions
reflected political change as well as a desire for greater comfort. At
one time, if you had sufficient means, you built a castle: with the richness of the land and
of the rivers, it isn’t
surprising there were so many in the area of Banchory.
Our journey started at Drum -
which had three quite distinct eras of building: a Medieval keep, a
Jacobean mansion, and a Victorian extension with the whole epitomising
the very essence of “castle”, and making a very substantial
building. Home of the Irvine
family for 700 years, it was given to them by Robert the Bruce. Irvines continued in the service of
various kings, lending money to James IV and supporting the restoration
of Charles II. Many wonderful
pieces of furniture, artefacts and pictures were on show, and as we
walked through the house, we dropped into and out of the various
Medieval, Jacobean and Victorian portions, progressively demonstrating
the desire for more refinement and comfort.
A feature of these castles, or tower houses, is that the garden is
often quite removed from the house itself, and so it was at Drum. A good quarter of a mile away, we
were lead to a walled garden of about 2 acres divided into 4 quarters. Each section displayed a different
layout of roses of 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, reflecting
significant periods of the castle’s
habitation. The dark granite walls were softened by the pinky-mauve
puffs of Erinus alpinus, or fairy foxglove, giving a wonderful effect. We were a bit early for many of
the roses and other herbaceous plantings but were able to enjoy the
historical references. On to
the Banchory Lodge Hotel on the banks of the Dee to settle before
supper.
The next day it was off to Daluaine Gardens in Rhynie.
Touted to be the finest garden in Aberdeenshire, it was created and is
kept (with the help of one full time gardener) by Mary Ann Crichton
Maitland, an extraordinary woman of about 70 or so. Laid out around a stone built
manse, Mrs. Crichton Maitland gave us coffee from a silver samovar in a
marquee in the garden. She was
very generous in sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm, taking us into
every nook and cranny of her domain. The plantsmanship and sheer
exuberance of this one woman has resulted in a superb display of
herbaceous borders, shrub and tree plantings, both within the walled
garden and on the hillside areas more recently planted. We were
constantly surprised by the ‘views
through’ other plantings,
creating vista after vista within quite small areas. Some wonderful statuary further
emphasised Mrs. Crichton Maitland’s
capacity for positioning and for a goodly touch of whimsy. 
Fraser Castle was quite different and had feeling that it was less
happy within its own skin.* Not always on the side of the winners in
disputes, the fortunes of the families of Castle Fraser waxed and waned
over the centuries. Begun as simple tower house in 1575 and ‘finished’
in 1635 Castle Fraser is one of the grandest baronial castles in
Aberdeenshire. It is built
classically to a Z plan: the removal of the harling externally has
clarified much of the sequence of building, for it was the subject of
many enhancements over many decades. Rooms were displayed as family
rooms with children's toys and nursery furnishings. Some very curious
items such as Colonel Charles Fraser’s
wooden leg, which was most beautifully carved and articulated, really
caught the eye. Apparently not
one to sit things out, Colonel Fraser had a cork leg as well for
dancing, and sundry others for other pursuits.
*This may be due to the state of the National Trust for Scotland, which is strapped for cash having been, perhaps, impetuous in buying large properties without having in hand the means of upkeep. The refurbishment of a billiard table at Fyvie, for £14000 for instance, and which is now kept covered and never used for play, seemed a strange use of resources.
That evening we went to The Milton
Restaurant for dinner where we were joined by Angus and Anne Pelham
Burn and Robin and Patricia Linzee Gordon who were all very helpful to
Jane Angelini, our tour leader, in setting up the tour.
The star of the evening was a rhubarb and ginger tarte tatin with
ginger ice-cream: ask one of us and a glazed look of contentment will
reward you.
The
next day, Anne joined us on the coach to Fyvie Castle and she told us
in wonderful detail of her childhood growing up in Fyvie: of the maids
fetching and carrying, of the children’s
nanny, and of how, on the announcement of the outbreak of war, Father
said ‘Bloody!’ a great shock to all. And of how
they were given 48 hours to clear the castle of their personal things in
order that it should be turned in a hospital for the duration. Anne’s
mother went from being waited on hand and foot to having to take
cooking lessons in order to feed the remaining staff and her family.
Anne Pelham Burn came round on the tour of the castle and, sotto voce,
provided further bits of information not available through the official
guide. We asked if it was very
strange to be a guided guest in her former home and she confirmed that
indeed it was, especially when the SNT spiel didn’t do much justice to the real
history, quite consistently leaving out references to the Castle being
used for a hospital during the war.
Onto Haddo House - now this was a treat.
It is a strictly Palladian House, built in 1735 on the site of Kellie,
an old tower house. Very Georgian in feel, it was still very much the
Scottish Laird’s house. Alexander, Marquis of Aberdeen,
kindly invited us to a light lunch in the Library. Later he took us round the house,
giving us to understand that this was only the second time he had done
such a house tour! He related
to us some anecdotes of family history, not least problems with keeping
going the male succession in the face of wars and disease. He allowed
that in his case the problem had been satisfactorily resolved with three
sons and a daughter. The tour
ended in the Giles Room wherein were hung watercolours of every castle
in Scotland painted by James Giles. I only wish we’d had longer here (and a ladder to
get closer!) as they were truly wonderful.
From Haddo we went on to Pitmedden Garden, a mid 1950’s reconstruction of 17th century
French parterres, the fashion for which arrived with the restoration of
Charles II. Though no plans remain of the original garden layout out due
to fire in the 19th century, paintings by James de Witt, c.1685,
clearly show elaborate designs.
We were a bit too early for the parterres themselves to be at their
finest, but in order to extend the period of interest, the Trust has
planted long herbaceous borders which were getting into full swing, and
were quite splendid. There are
six miles of boxwood hedges to be kept trimmed!
Our last full day was perhaps the most spectacular, with a drive
through great wilderness and beauty to Ballindalloch Castle in the
valley of the Spey River. Here
we were greeted by Mrs. Clare Russell, the present Lord Lieutenant of
Banffshire. Ballindalloch and its estate are most beautifully manicured
and have the aura of being deeply loved.
Unusually the family still lives in it, though the private rooms are
not open to the public.
Enormous resources, time and effort have been put into the upkeep both
the castle and the estate.
Wonderful porcelain, furniture and pictures greet the visitor though a
splendid rather gloomy lot of Spanish paintings have been banished to
the corridors where the passers-by did not have to linger. Mrs. Russell also displayed a vast
array of pictures of the family, the Royal Family, and large black
beasts as befits the home of Aberdeen Angus cattle.
Our curiosity satisfied, we left
Ballindalloch for The Glenfiddich Distillery.
By dint of more-than-honest toil, William Grant and his sons worked
seven days a week to build the first distillery which produced its first
whisky on Christmas day 1887 and it still produces world class whisky
to this day. A fascinating and
sometimes rather smelly tour ensued, ending with a welcome dram to see
us on our way home.
Our final day took us to Crathes, a beautifully preserved castle built
in the 16th century. The estate has been in the Burnett family for some
24 generations and only recently has the family moved out and handed
over to the National Trust. Originally an Anglo-Saxon family,
they moved north during the reign of David I. For 250 years they lived
in the Loch of Leys, then an island in a swampy area, and were later
grateful for the circumstances which allowed them to seek dryer land on
which to settle. The castle itself is in beautiful condition and is
stuffed full wonderful furniture, needlework, paintings, and artefacts
all attesting to a fascinating family history. Some might say that it is the
garden which is the better known: certainly the head gardener was quite
sure that he was in charge of the best in a wide area. Unusually for the
period, the garden is quite close to the house.
It is made up of many rooms, from tightly knit parterres to blowsy
herbaceous borders. Perhaps
the most striking was the golden garden which, despite a downpour of
monsoon proportions, positively glowed in the rain.
Special memories: lots and lots of happy laughter; Black pudding; walking by the Dee before dinner;
rhubarb and ginger tarte tatin; circular staircases; for some of us,
more black pudding; conversations in little pools of shared delight; the
wonderful and very special arrangements made by Jane, who I hope
enjoyed it as much as we did.
For more pictures
Reported: Monday 01 June 2009
