Blair Castle

BLAIR CASTLE

 Through the trees can be seen Blair Atholl. It is touted to be one of the most famous castles in Scotland. It was refurbished in the 18th and 19th century now and has acquired the whitewashed appearance, not the typical castle appearance. It was first built in 1269.

In 1778, the 4th Duke of Atholl raised a private army, Atholl Highlanders to fight the colonists in the American War of Independence. They were posted to Ireland but later disbanded. The Duke of Atholl is the only person allowed to have a  private army.


During WWII the upper bedrooms became a dormitory for a girls school to protect them from the nightly raids.

Crossing the footbridge to the castle.

This is the main entrance to the castle. From here the owners could look down the  pathway and see a  life size statue of  Hercules at the end. He stands at the entrance of a 9 acre walled garden. It has landscaped ponds, a Chinese bridge and more than 100 fruit trees.

The owners live in the left part of the castle. 

We were able to tour the 30 rooms but no pictures could be taken until we entered the grand hall shown below.

During WWI this great hall was turned in to a Red Cross Hospital.

Notice the number of racks on the walls.

This shows the many trees in Diana's Grove. There were many exotic conifers planted here previously not known to Great Britain. The grove is named after Diana, a Roman goddess of hunting. This was laid out in 1737. 

Signs of Fall approaching.