Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle | |
---|---|
Scottish baronial/French Renaissance | |
Location | Golspie, Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 57°58′55″N 3°56′43″W / 57.981944°N 3.945278°W |
Completed | 1845 |
Client | George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland |
Owner | Alistair Charles St Clair Sutherland, 25th Earl of Sutherland |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Sir Charles Barry |
Dunrobin Castle (mostly 1835–1845 — present) is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, as well as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland, Chief of the Clan Sutherland. It is located one mile (1.5 kilometres) north of Golspie and approximately five miles (eight kilometres) south of Brora, overlooking the Dornoch Firth.
Dunrobin's origins lie in the Middle Ages, but most of the present building and the gardens were added by Sir Charles Barry between 1835 and 1850. Some of the original building is visible in the interior courtyard, despite a number of expansions and alterations that made it the largest house in the north of Scotland. After being used as a boarding school for seven years, it is now open to the public.
History
The lands of
Dunrobin Castle was built in the midst of a tribal society, with
In 1518, in the absence of Adam Gordon, the castle was captured by Alexander Sutherland, the legitimate heir to the Earldom of Sutherland. The Gordons quickly retook the castle, captured Alexander and placed his head on a spear on top of the castle tower.[8] Alexander's son John made an attempt on the castle in 1550, but was killed in the castle garden.[8] During the more peaceful 17th century, the keep was extended with the addition of a large house, built around a courtyard to the south-west.[2]
During the Jacobite Rising of 1745, the Jacobites under Charles Edward Stuart stormed Dunrobin Castle without warning, because the Clan Sutherland supported the British government. The 17th Earl of Sutherland, who had changed his surname from Gordon to Sutherland, narrowly escaped them, exiting through a back door.[9] He sailed for Aberdeen where he joined the Duke of Cumberland's army. On the death of the 18th Earl in 1766, the house passed to his daughter, Elizabeth, who married the politician George Leveson-Gower, later created 1st Duke of Sutherland. In 1785, the house was altered and extended again.[2]
Between 1835 and 1850,
Dunrobin Castle railway station, on the Far North Line, was opened in 1870, as a private station for the castle.[13] The present waiting room was constructed in 1902, and is a category B listed building.[13]
During the
Architecture
There are 189 rooms within the castle, making it the largest in the northern Highlands.[16] Much of Barry's interior was destroyed by the fire of 1915, leading to the restoration by Sir Robert Lorimer, although he incorporated surviving 17th-century and 18th-century work, including wood carvings attributed to Grinling Gibbons.[1][17] Externally, the castle has elements inspired by the work of the French architect Viollet-le-Duc, such as the pyramidal roof over the main entrance.[1]
The portion built by Barry uses freestone in broadly the same style as the turreted parts from the 16th and 17th centuries, but borrows significant elements from the château style.[18] A large quadrangular pile of four stories, with towers at each corner, connects to the older castle by a building of three stories and containing the stately apartments.[18] The tallest tower, containing the entrance, is 135 ft (41 m) high, the round towers being 115 ft (35 m) high and the clock tower 125 ft (38 m).[18]
St. John's Well, in the courtyard of the oldest portion of the castle, is one of the deepest draw
Interior
In the entrance hall is a
Gardens
The French influence extends into the gardens, completed in 1850, with Barry taking inspiration from the
Museum
A museum displays the
The castle is open to visitors between April and October each year.[25] Falconry displays are held in the castle's gardens by a resident Falconer.[26]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Historic Environment Scotland. "Dunrobin Castle (Category A Listed Building) (LB7044)". Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Dunrobin Castle". CANMORE. RCAHMS. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ^ a b c Grimble 1987, p. 131
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Sykes 1997, p. 57
- ^ a b "Dunrobin Castle Archaeological Sites and Monuments Record" (PDF). Highland Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ Grimble 1987, pp. 131–132
- ^ a b Grimble 1987, p. 132
- ^ a b Grimble 1987, p. 133
- ^ Sutherland 1997, p. 29
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Sykes 1997, p. 61
- ^ a b Hussey 1931, p. 34
- ^ a b c Stevenson, A (2018). "Once upon a time". RHS the Garden. 143 (2): 30–35.
- ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland. "Dunrobin Castle Station Waiting Room (Category B Listed Building) (LB7054)". Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "Dunrobin Castle's lights will blaze once more". The Scotsman. 16 December 1965. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ a b c Historic Environment Scotland. "Dunrobin Castle (GDL00160)". Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "The Castle". Dunrobin Castle. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Grimble 1987, p. 142
- ^ a b c d e Oliver & Boyd 1860, p. 433
- ^ "The Clan Sutherland Room". Dunrobin Castle. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ "Dining Room". Dunrobin Castle. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "The Library". Dunrobin Castle. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ Lindsay & Lindsay 1994, p. 72
- ^ "Dunrobin Castle Garden". gardens-scotland.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Museum". Dunrobin Castle. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Opening Times and Prices". Dunrobin Castle. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Falconry". Dunrobin Castle. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
Sources
- Grimble, Ian (1987). Castles of Scotland. BBC Publications. ISBN 9780563205180.
- Hussey, Christopher (1931). The work of Sir Robert Lorimer. Country Life.
- Lindsay, Joyce; Lindsay, Maurice (1994). Scottish Gardens. Chambers. ISBN 9780550200747.
- Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh; Sykes, Christopher Simon (1997). Great Houses of Scotland. Laurence King Publishing. ISBN 9781856691062.
- Oliver, Thomas; Boyd, George (1860). Oliver and Boyd's Scottish tourist.
- Sutherland, Colin (1997). The Sutherlands: The Origins of the Clan Sutherland and their Place in Scotland's History. Lang Syne Publishers. ISBN 185 217 085-9.
Further reading
- McGregor, Malcolm (Autumn 2014). "Coastal fortress". Scots Heritage Magazine. 65: 60–67.