Ardblair Castle
Ardblair Castle is a castle about 1.2 km west of Blairgowrie in the Scottish administrative division of Perth and Kinross . It is an L-shaped castle (with an extension) from the 16th century.
history
In 1399 the Blairs from Balthavock received the property from King David II . '' Patrick Blair '' was accused, convicted and beheaded of the murder of George Drummond from Ledcrieff and his son in 1554 . By marriage in 1792 the property fell to the Oliphant clan from Gask and remained the property of the Oliphant-Blair family . In the 20th century, many Jacobite relics were brought to Ardblair Castle by Gask.
Carolina Nairne , the songwriter , was a frequent visitor to the castle.
description
It is believed that the original castle was built at the behest of the Blairs in Norman times in place of an older fort. The tower on the northwest side was built on the foundations of part of the previous castle.
Ardblair Castle is one of the few castles that still own their courtyard. The original house with an L-shaped floor plan had three full floors and an attic. There is a tourelle staircase that protrudes from the ground floor in the interior corner. It has a conical roof.
In 1668 a courtyard was added, the north side of which was delimited by a wall with an arched passage in the middle. In the middle of the courtyard is a sundial with the date 1623 and 25 digits.
There is a decorative plaque above the entrance to the castle, but without an inscription.
The cellar, which presumably was the kitchen, has a vaulted ceiling. There is a wide fireplace there; its massive chimney dominates the south facade of the building. On the ground floor there was a knight's hall , which today serves as a wood-paneled dining room and was redesigned in the 18th century. Most of the rest of the interior also dates from the 18th century.
The castle was once almost completely surrounded by a lake, which is now largely drained.
Historic Scotland has listed Ardblair Castle as a Category A Historic Building.
Ghosts
The castle is said to be haunted by the "green lady" who is dressed in green silk and searches the castle's bedchamber. This is believed to be the ghost of Lady Jean Drummond from '' Newton '', who died of a broken heart after falling in love with a Blair despite the feuds between the two clans. She drowned in the marshland there.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland . Goblinshead, 1997. ISBN 1-899874-10-0 . P. 54.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Maurice Lindsay: The Castles of Scotland . Constable, 1986. ISBN 0-09-473430-5 . P. 54.
- ↑ a b c Ardblair Castle . In: Canmore . Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
Coordinates: 56 ° 35 ′ 6.4 " N , 3 ° 21 ′ 48.6" W.