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Drumlanrig Castle

Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Summary

Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Field	Value
name	Drumlanrig Castle
image	Drumlanrig Castle - geograph.org.uk - 5090781.jpg
image_size	250px
caption	The castle in 2016
alt	View of the front of Drumlanrig Castle, looking slightly up, standing near the fencing separating the castle itself from the public
map_type	Scotland
map_size	250
established	14th century
location	Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, United Kingdom
coordinates
owner	Montagu-Douglas-Scott Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry
website	drumlanrigcastle.co.uk

Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The category A listed castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. As of September 2023, the castle itself is open to the public during very limited times of the year, with the surroundings, such as the stableyard and adventure playground being open nearly all year round. Walking, hiking, and cycling routes are open all year long, unless officially closed due to unforeseen circumstances, such as in 2021 due damage inflicted by Storm Arwen.

Construction

The 'Pink Palace' of Drumlanrig, constructed between 1679 and 1689 from distinctive pink sandstone, is an example of late 17th-century Renaissance architecture. The first Duke of Queensberry, William Douglas, had the castle built on the site of an ancient Douglas stronghold overlooking the Nith Valley. The castle has 120 rooms, 17 turrets and four towers.

In 1984, aerial photography revealed the outline of a substantial Roman fort some 350 yards to the southeast of Drumlanrig Castle. The fort was partially excavated in 2004 by the Time Team television programme.

Gardens

A formal garden was created between 1675 and 1697 to the principles of the architect Sir William Bruce and appear to be similar to the garden plans for Kinross House and Balcaskie. The gardens were enclosed by stone walls and included six stone pavilions each with lead ogee roofs matching the main building. Water features in the garden included a "clanging clock". In 1695 when the second duke inherited the estate he employed a James Wood son of Hew Wood of Hamilton as a gardener, and sent him to London in 1696 for further training. He failed to return and the duke instead employed a Dutch gardener named Cornelius van Nerven. In 1698 a summer house and water cascades were added. The third duke employed a David Low as gardener from 1714 to 1747. This period had the creation of more landscape features plus a bowling green (an early example of such). During this period Sir John Clerk of Penicuik designed the water cascades which were added 1728 to 1732.

Following the death of David Low, the head gardener, in 1747, the number of gardeners was reduced to eight to ten men, and the new head gardener was paid less than Low. The gardens were allowed to be less maintained and by 1810 there was a decision made to remove the formal gardens.

Art collection

The castle is home to part of the Buccleuch art collection which includes Rembrandt's An Old Woman Reading, and Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder, which was stolen in 2003 and returned in 2007 after being found in Glasgow, and many other paintings, tapestries and objects of art. The Madonna of the Yarnwinder is currently on loan at the Scottish National Gallery.

Surrounding attractions

The castle features attractions for both tourists and local residents, situated in the former stable yard, and in an off-section of the rear gardens. These include the Stableyard Studios with a range of local businesses, a tearoom and an adventure playground.

Etymology

The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1374, spelled Drumlangryg. There are a number of possible etymologies for the name. It may represent Cumbric drum 'ridge' + -lanerc 'small area of cleared woodland'. However, the first element may also be Gaelic *druim *'ridge', either added to a Cumbric name or to Scots *lang-rigg 'long ridge'.

Gallery

File:DrumlaningCastle.jpg|Drumlanrig Castle side on view looking at the right-hand side File:Castelodedrumlanrig.jpg|Drumlanrig Castle illustration in 1880 File:Drumlanrig plan.jpg|Original plan. The building extends 145 ft (44m) File:Drumlanrig elevation.jpg|Planned front entrance illustration File:Drumlanrig Castle Garden.jpg|Drumlanrig Castle side on view looking at the left-hand side File:Car Park at Drumlanrig Castle - geograph.org.uk - 5090940.jpg|Main/Front car park, looking down from Stableyard towards front gate to Castle itself, as well as road towards Adventure Playground File:The Stableyard Studios, Drumlanrig Castle - geograph.org.uk - 5091771.jpg|View inside the Stableyard, towards the rear, facing an exit as well as the general direction of the Castle

References

{{Historic Environment Scotland
"Castle Tours {{!}} Dumfries & Galloway".
"The Adventure Playground".
"Discover the Stableyard Craft Workshops".
"Walking and Hiking Routes".
"Facebook".
(27 August 2003). "Low security of viewing scheme that avoids inheritance duty didn't deter raiders of the Pink Palace". [[The Herald (Glasgow).
Rose, Kenneth. (24 December 2001). "Princess Alice: no Victorian, but eminent none the less". Telegraph.
"The Castle".
"Drumlanrig Castle". Wessex Archaeology.
Scotland's Lost Gardens by Marilyn Brown ISBN 978-1-902419-947
(5 September 2007). "The Duke of Buccleuch". Telegraph.
(19 October 2009). "Trial date for da Vinci accused". BBC News.
"Drumlanrig Castle - Tearoom and Larchwood Cabin, Thornhill – Cafes & Tearooms".
Ramage, Craufurd Tait (1876). Drumlanrig Castle and the Douglases. Dumfries: J.Anderson & Son. p. 3.
James, Alan G.. (2014). "The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-name Evidence".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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