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Tag Archives: Castles

Watching fall come in

21 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by winifredcreamer in Scotland

≈ 1 Comment

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Castles, Food, Landscape

Yesterday were were on the beach at 1 pm and the sun was slanted across the sand as though it was late afternoon. Today it’s the equinox. Time sped up lately, since the last I remember the sun barely set by 10, or was that 8:30pm? Birdwatching is more challenging, too. I turn my head at a slight movement in the woods, but it’s not a bird, it’s a falling leaf.

The weather varies a great deal now. Here’s perfect afternoon:

9-16-17-saltburnHere’s the next morning (note the moored sailboat center left in both photos):

9-15-16-saltburnHere’s the full moon over the oil rig.

9-17-16-full-moon-over-oil-rig-003smWe’ve been doing some cooking:

BEFORE
AFTER

We’ve also kept up our visits to castles. This is Cawdor Castle:

Cawdor Castle, yep, as in Shakespeare
Formal garden
Jonathan in the topiary

Fountain in walled garden
Maze with minotaur
Into the wild garden

Birch bark
Fabulous bird feeder
Millstones

We would run away with Mr. Toad any day.

9-18-16-cawdor-castle

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Scottish Castles and then some

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by winifredcreamer in Scotland

≈ 2 Comments

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Architecture, Castles, History

Southern Scotland is full of castles. How do you choose which ones to visit? After I realized that we couldn’t visit them all, we chose a couple from a range of time periods to see whether we can see any changes over time.

What I found is that castles didn’t change much between the 12th and 16th centuries. They range from a very small tower (Orchardton) to a large tower with an extra bit added (MacLellan). Not until the 17th century did castles become the showplaces we see today.

When I decided to focus on visiting castles, I didn’t pay think about visiting any of the old abbey sites. They are fewer in number, and had a religious focus, so I didn’t think I’d be interested, until we drove by Dundrennan Abbey on our way somewhere and pulled in to have a look. (I include photos of Dundrennan at the end of this post.) It was both an irony and a revelation. The power was in the Church, obvious from a first look around. Dundrennan is much larger and ornate than any castle built before the late 1600s, AND most of it was built before 1200. I seem to have been following the wrong team. It also explains why Henry VIII (and other kings) wanted to take over the Church. It was obvious the clergy held much more power than the king and were far wealthier. A good example is Henry VIIIs advisor Cardinal Woolsey. Woolsey built Hampton Court Palace (near London) for himself, but Henry admired it so much that he made Woolsey give it to him.

Castles, however, capture our imagination. Here’s a tour through time with Scottish castles.

EARLIEST CASTLES

The oldest castles are no longer standing, though some remain as footprints in the ground that have been excavated or mapped. You can see the oldest church at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, founded in 1128. 7.19.16 Holyrood Palace-012Compare Holyrood’s Old Abbey, established in 1128, with the footprint of the original castle at Caerlaverock, built in the 1200s. (Holyrood is bigger.)20160817_125845 A great deal may be known about these barely visible castles from documents that have been preserved through the centuries. The depth of historic records in the UK is impressive.

8.25.16 Cardoness Castle-009

 

 

Here is the outline of an older portion of Cardoness Castle

 

 

14th century Castles (1300s), Threave Castle

Skip forward a mere 100 years, and many castles from the era remain standing. During the late 1300s, Threave Castle was built on an island in the river Dee, not far from today’s town of Castle Douglas. Threave was well protected for its time, with a natural moat flowing around it, accessible by boat up and down the river. Like the first castle Caerlaverock, it was damp, but unlike that castle, Threave was never moved to a drier spot.

8.9.16 Threave Castle-012Threave was home to Archibald Douglas, known as Archibald the Grim for his terrible face in battle. Archibald inherited his title from James Douglas, known as both James the Good and The Black Douglas. James Douglas spent his career, most of the 1300s, moving from battle to battle in support of William Wallace and Robert Bruce. The black in the Douglas name refers to barbaric incidents such as the “Douglas Larder.” At that time, the Douglas family properties had been confiscated and James Douglas was intent on regaining them. On Palm Sunday 1307, he and a band of men hid outside Douglas Castle (now demolished) until the soldiers went to a nearby church for services. Douglas and his men broke in, captured those present, then gathered all the stores of the castle in a great heap, splitting open wine casks and splintering the wood. He had all the captives beheaded and set atop the ruined goods then lit on fire. Local people dubbed the event the Douglas Larder and James’ ruthlessness became part of his legend.

8.9.16 Threave Castle-009

The harbor at Threave castle is very small.

By Archibald’s rule at the end of the 1300s, the Douglas name was a prominent one, and earned the enmity of English kings. Archibald the Grim was succeeded by his son Archibald, yet the Douglas’ were constantly under attack. This culminated in the siege of Threave Castle in 1455. In the end money succeeded where a siege could not. Threave surrendered and was partly dismantled. Put back together by the next owners (the Maxwells of Caerlaverock Castle-they were all interrelated over time).  This next siege of Threave Castle came in the 1600s.

8.9.16 Threave Castle-016From 1637-1688 religion in Scotland was declared to be based on the Book of Common Prayer, led by Episcopal ministers, as declared by the king. This sounds straightforward except for the fact that in Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland was the dominant practice, and many Scots believed that a king could never be the head of a church, the role they believe was a spiritual position filled by Jesus Christ. A declaration to that effect (the Covenant) was signed by many in Scotland who were called Covenanters. To suppress opposition to his dictates, the king ordered Covenanters to hunted and killed in an effort to institute religion according to the king’s will. It was treasonous to oppose the religious rules of the king and the siege of Threave Castle by Covenanters was an effort to drive out non-Scottish Episcopal believers. Once again Threave fell due to negotiations but this time the castle was not reoccupied.

15th century Castles (1400s) Cardoness Castle

Castles got taller over the next century based on our visit to Cardoness Castle. The castle was owned by the Cardoness family by 1220, but the present structure is a tower house from the 15th century when it was owned by the McCulloch family. 8.25.16 Cardoness Castle

The McCullochs were involved in feuds and raids throughout the region of Dumfries and Galloway. The castle was acquired from the Cardoness family through marriage. The tale goes that the head of Cardoness was furious that he had nine daughters and no sons. His  next child was a boy, and the laird insisted on holding a huge party on the surface of the frozen loch at the foot of the castle. In the midst of the festivities, the ice gave way and all were killed but the one daughter who had stayed back with a cold. She then married a McCulloch who was interested in her wealth and castle.

This two story storage chamber could hold supplies for a long, cold winter.
Decorative details of the fireplace area showed off the McCulloch wealth.

The interior of the castle displays wealth in the abundance of carved stone mantelpieces, niches and window seats. Cardoness is also structurally very strong.

Gun ports were a new feature in 15th century castles.
The view from the top with Solway Firth in the distance. Cardoness Castle had a strategic location.

Two of the four sides are doubled by having a narrow passage between the outer wall and the inner living rooms. These were for the servants to move about unseen, but had the effect of adding structural support and insulation to the walls. Between 1700 when the castle was abandoned, and 1927 when the ruins were given to Historic Scotland, Cardoness did not deteriorate as much as many other abandoned castles.

16th centory Castles (1500s), Drumcoltran tower, MacLellan’s Castle, Carsluith Castle

Even more structures from the sixteenth century are still around. We visited Drumcoltran Tower,  MacLellan’s Castle, and Carsluith Castle. Drumcoltran Tower is the most remote. It is only a mile or two off the road, but it is a good thing there are signs, because the road runs through farmland. The final sign points to the side of the road: “Parking.”

8.7.16 Drumcoltran Tower-027However, a dedicated path leads to the tower from the roadside. There is information on signs outside and inside the tower, including a reminder not to get in the way of the workings of the modern farm that is all around. Historic Scotland has managed the property since 1951. It is in very good condition, a roof is in place and the windows screened to keep out birds. The door was open though there was not an attendant.

Drumcoltran Tower was built in the mid 1550s, to control a road between Dumfries and Dalbeattie. It is in the middle of a farmyard, with barns and buildings on three sides. Though it seems incongrous to us, this is very much like the tower’s original setting, when Edward Maxwell lived in the tower, surrounded by the hamlet he managed.

8.7.16 Drumcoltran Tower019
8.7.16 Drumcoltran Tower-025

The view from the top of Drumcoltran Tower reveals a broad expanse of farmland, full of grazing animals. The sheep tried to prevent us from leaving, but we did find a way.

8.8.16 McClellan castle KirkudbrightThe corner tower of MacLellan’s Castle in Kirkcudbright looks a bit like the Drumcoltran Tower. Not surprising, as it was built about the same time, with construction underway by 1577.

I find it impressive to read that in 1569 Thomas MacLellan of Bombie was given the site of a ruined Greyfriars monastery in the town of Kirkcudbright. That means there are documents that record this, preserved for more than 400 years. Perhaps because this castle is in the center of town, there are more displays at MacLellan’s Castle. Jonathan went to help in the kitchen.

8.8.16 McClellan castle Kirkudbright-007
8.8.16 McClellan castle Kirkudbright-003

 

8.18.16 Carsluith CastleCarsluith Castle is similar to the others, different in being open to the elements (pigeons), and located by the side of the road. One feature still visible (below) is a sink, where you could stand while a servant poured water over your hands for washing. The water drained out the side of the building just behind where Jonathan is standing. Solway Firth is just to the left, so waste eventually made it there.

8.18.16 Carsluith Castle-003sm

 

8.18.16 Carsluith Castle-002

The space between floors in most castles is open now, as the wood floors have not been replaced or restored, but it is possible to see the notches that supported roof beams, and the features in each room. Here you see the second and third floors at Carsluith. The second floor had a window seat, a fireplace and a niche that could have held shelves for storage or display. The third floor was for a lesser member of the household. The fireplace is smaller and there are no built in features.

 

17th century Castles (1600s) Caerlaverock Castle

We have visited two castles that were at least partly built during the 17th century. The most fun was probably Caerlaverock Castle. 8.17.16 Caerlaverock Castle var-023 I happened to see on their web site that it was the setting for The Decoy Bride, a very silly romantic comedy that I watched on the recommendation of my daughter, a David Tennant fan.https://i0.wp.com/images.static-bluray.com/movies/covers/43084_front.jpg

He seems to have strayed into this film by accident (possibly between better gigs). I went back and watched it again, and enjoyed seeing how the castle was worked into the film.

20160817_125845The foundations of an early Caerlaverock Castle built around 1230 were excavated some years ago and lie in a clearing near the surviving castle. On the edge of a stream, it’s no surprise that the first castle was abandoned because of the damp, make that soggy, surroundings.

8.17.16 Caerlaverock CastleA few hundred meters away, the new castle was built by surrounded by a moat, easy to create in the wet surroundings, and then a ditch and palisade.

 

Distinctive at Caerlaverock is its moat (right), triangular shape (first photo), and the much later building inside the castle.

 

 

 

 

8.17.16 Caerlaverock Castle-009Called the Nithsdale Lodging, this Renaissance style building (completed 1634) was a departure from previous architecture because of its numerous large windows and decorative carvings over the windows. It is very different than the rest of this and the other castles we’ve seen and it was intended to impress the neighbors and competitors with Robert Maxwell’s new title of Earl of Nithsdale granted around 1620. The panels over each window are an unusual mix from my perspective, but perhaps were appropriate at the time. Most have some mythological reference, but some are allegories of love and honor, while the top three are examples of what happens to your enemies. Prometheus having his liver pecked out, for example.

For more on Caerlaverock Castle, try this very interesting blog post:

More on Nithsdale lodging at Caerlaverock Castle

The great irony is that Caerlaverock Castle fell to a siege in 1640, only six years after the new construction was completed. It was partially dismantled once again, a practice used to keep a structure from being used in future battles. Caerlaverock Castle was never reoccupied.

Drumlanrig Castle (1679-1689)

By the time Drumlanrig was built, castles had become as we imagine them today, huge (120 rooms), turreted lavish homes set in extensive grounds.

DSCN5243smThey could be defended, but not as easily as in the days before cannon. The castle interior is hung with Old Masters of greater (Rembrandt) and lesser distinction. Our young guide was proud of his association with the castle and the Buccleuch (Bu-KLOO) family. I was surprised and a bit taken aback to find that the Earl owns 90,000 acres just in the area around the castle, AND is the largest private property owner in Europe, with hundreds of thousands of acres. Why should we congratulate this person? Why on earth should we be paying to visit his castle? Oh, and by the way, he rarely even visits, he has a palace he prefers down the road. It has only 60 rooms. 8.21.16 Drumlanrig Castle-028smWe were not allowed to take photos of the interior of the castle, though I took a photo out one window of the formal garden. My overall impression of Drumlanrig is that it displays the worst of inherited wealth. The castle is used as an event location, just to keep something going on at the property. Our visit coincided with the Galloway Country Fair, another summer to-do with dogs displaying their skills, and more sheep races. It was fun, but I was a sobered by learning about its place in the larger political/economic system. Do these people need land reform?

Hounds still root out “problem animals” on farms, even though fox hunting is banned.
A sheepdog showing his skills with a small herd of geese.
And they’re off!! More sheep races.

Dundrennan Abbey-Last but far from Least

It was quite an eye-opener to see the huge abbey church at Dundrennan. Even as a ruin it impresses. The idea of a cloistered order is a bit difficult for me to get my head around, a place where the brothers all prayed a lot, grew much of their own food, kept to themselves, all during the 1100s, almost a millennium ago. It’s suggested that they also died young because of the privations of the order. A tough life, though the cloistered monks did rely on “lay brothers” to perform especially heavy work. Despite the hard life, the grandeur of the surroundings may have been something of a reward compared to the kind of home a local family or even a noble would have had at the time.

DSCN5364smThe circles are the remains of supporting pillars of the nave of the church. What you see in the photo is the transept, a small portion of the original church structure. (It was massive.)

DSCN5350smThis view inside the transept of Dundrennan shows you the scale of the place. It was completed before the earliest of the castles I’ve mentioned.

DSCN5355

Later portions of the abbey like this one were completed by the end of the 1200s, much earlier than anything comparable in castle construction.

 

 

DSCN5361

 

There are a lot of pieces in storage that have been collected as the abbey gradually falls apart.

I think I’ll switch to visiting abbeys and give Scottish castles a break. They are all rectangular towers, have the same layout, a barrel-vaulted storeroom(s) on the bottom, a great hall above, residence above, retainers above that. Kitchen, brewhouse, bakery and servants all were in structures around the exterior of the tower and are not ordinarily preserved, though it should be great for archaeological excavation. All those broken dishes and ale tankards…….

 

 

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Tea in the country

08 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by winifredcreamer in Scotland

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Castles, Gardens

At the Stewartry show, we met a member of the local Royal Scottish Forestry Society. We chatted a bit and the next thing you know, William invited us to tea on Saturday. It sounded like fun, we’d had an enjoyable chat, and it was a chance to get to know someone from the area a bit better.

8.6.16 Dalgonar House-015

 

We drove out to Dunscore on very small roads, narrow but scenic, and found our way to Dalgonar House.

As we arrived we met visiting family members just arriving for a stay.

8.6.16 Dalgonar House-014

We walked around the gardens, where every turn presents a new vista.

Hugo the whippet was willing to join us for a picture on a particularly attractive garden bench.

 

On our return to the house we had tea and chatted with Marilyn about her sculptures in the garden, really wonderful pieces. It dawned on us that we were in the midst of move-in day for a family get together. During the time we were there, all three adult children, eight grand children and four grand-dogs arrived. We chatted while new arrivals ebbed and flowed in and out of the kitchen. It was pretty clear that we were a last minute addition to a pretty free-form household. It was a pleasure to be around such interesting and unflappable people, who didn’t seem to mind the visiting Americans. When the last of the family turned up (the countess and the earl), we made our farewells and headed off–just then the sun came out. The drive home to Dalbeattie was gorgeous.

8.6.16 Dalgonar House-020smSouthern Scotland is “undiscovered” in that people ask us what we plan to do, though they themselves may be there on vacation. It is only undiscovered by foreigners, I think. Here are a few more pictures of the lovely gardens at Dalgonar House.

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So many castles,

29 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by winifredcreamer in Edinburgh

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Castles

In the Edinburgh area, there are so many castles and palaces that are on the “must-see” list that it would take a solid week to see them all. Over the past month, we’ve visited Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Linlithgow Castle and Rosslyn Chapel, and have passed up visiting the others. I’ve already mentioned Edinburgh Castle, and the most memorable aspect of Holyrood is that the Queen still stays there periodically. Of the interior, I only remember that we passed a beautiful figured granite table. The ruins are impressive, and the archaeological remains of Holyrood Abbey are clearly marked in the sod behind the ruins of a later abbey. The sequence of Palace, ruined abbey and archaeological remain of the older abbey are visually impressive.

Left, a tiny “bath” house of an ancient queen. Center is the ruin of Holyrood Abbey
Right: the archaeological remains of the first abbey.

7.19.16 Holyrood Palace-001

 

All of Holyrood Park extends beyond the castle as far as Arthur’s Seat, a beautiful setting.

We managed to stay out of the rain during our visit.

The chevrons on the archway below show that it dates to Norman times, possibly around 1128 when the Augustinian Holyrood Abbey was founded.

7.19.16 Holyrood Palace-016a

 

 

 

 

Next up in our castle itinerary was Linlithgow. It’s not far from Edinburgh, most easily accessible by train. Crossing the village to the castle is only a short walk and it is a postcard-pretty place.

7.25.16 Linlithgow Castle-005The village and the ruined castle are full of interesting details like the elaborate well in the photo above.

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We enjoyed the ruins more than we would probably have enjoyed another set of furnished rooms. Plus, it seems that you’re never allowed to photograph restored interiors. There is a spacious park and a small loch by Linlithgow. The walk around the park is about 5 miles, and would be perfect on a warm day. We were dodging showers of rain and contented ourselves with a short walk along the loch and tea in the town.

There is a bit of controversy in Linlithgow. The church was first constructed in 1242, and after many changes, the crown spire (similar to that on St. Giles in Edinburgh) was dismantled for fear of its collapse. The spire was replaced in 1964 with a contemporary aluminum steeple that some say is out of character with the village and castle.


We didn’t make it to Stirling Castle. As they say, “So many castles, so little time.”

I did make the trip out to Rosslyn Chapel, partly in homage to the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, and partly to see the chapel’s rightly famous detailed stonework.

7.26.16 Rosslyn ChapelOnce again, the restored interior cannot be photographed and the postcards don’t do it justice. The carving is really, really intricate, beyond all reason or prudence, which is what makes it so much fun to look at. There are lots of “Green Man” carvings peeking out from under a leaf or chewing on a stem, alongside pillars carved with twisting designs or detailed flowers. Carved projections line the stone ribs of the chapel ceiling. It’s a fantasy, with no surviving plans. Built by William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, the meticulous stonework required 40 years of work, and the overall project ended at the death of the Earl. His intention had been to complete a much larger church. We can enjoy what he was able to accomplish.

Restoration of the chapel from a ruin took place a couple of times during the 1900s, most recently in 1995. The movie of the DaVinci Code may have saved the chapel from long term ruin by increasing the number of visitors. Now thoroughly restored, the chapel is in good condition for now. It’s difficult to predict what will happen over centuries.

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The trip to Rosslyn Chapel highlighted the good and bad of a weekly/monthly bus pass. Yes, travel to Rosslyn was included on my bus pass. No, it wasn’t rapid, taking almost an hour, well, maybe a bit more than an hour each way. The village of Roslin is only 6 miles south of central Edinburgh. Buses are reliable, but not fast.

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Our Castle Experience–round 2.

13 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by winifredcreamer in Edinburgh, Lillian

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Castles

Getting to Edinburgh Castle was an adventure all its own, because we had to find a route that was short enough that Jonathan’s ankle would still function after we arrived.  We pored over the street map and ended up taking a bus to the center and walking up “the mound” to the castle. It was a lot shorter than on my previous visit with Paula and Emily where we walked to North Bridge and up the Royal Mile.

Imposing from every angle.
Imposing from every angle.
The portcullis is still the entrance.
The portcullis is still the entrance.

The parade ground after the portcullis is marred a bit during the summer by the huge metal stands that engulf the space, setup for the Edinburgh Tattoo military show that takes place every night in August. There is still plenty of pageantry for those of us who won’t be staying until then.

The guards change with a bit of the pomp you see at Buckingham palace. They also rotate services. Today was Beefeaters. Another day were men in green with flat caps.
The guards change with a bit of the pomp you see at Buckingham palace. They also rotate services. Today was Beefeaters. Another day were men in green with flat caps.
Weaponry as decor.
Weaponry as decor.
7.11.16 Edinburgh Castle-004sm

The crown jewels of Scotland were impressive, though the Stone of Scone, displayed with them is a puzzling display of patriotism. The tale goes that ancient kings of Scotland were crowned while standing on the stone, a small featureless block that now has a couple of iron rings set in it. When Scotland signed the treaty that made it part of England, the block was carried off to Westminster in 1296 and stored in a drawer below the seat of a custom-made throne designed by Edward I. It stayed there until 1950, more than 650 years later (!), when it was stolen by Scottish students. Despite a wide search, the stone was not recovered by the police, but was returned early in 1951 after only four months in hiding. Scottish nationalism built up over the years since then and in 1996, the stone was returned to Scotland. That doesn’t seem to have quelled nationalism, and Scotland may again one day be an independent state. The Stone of Scone rests with the crown jewels while they wait.

7.11.16 Edinburgh Castle-008smLike the Stone of Scone, resting.

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