Day 4, July 5th Braemar Castle Rooms

After its burning in 1689, at least two proposals to repair the damage caused by the Black Colonel Farquharson came to nothing, and Braemar Castle remained in a semi-ruinous state until after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. In 1748, the Castle was leased from the Farquarsons by the Hanoverian government, and renovated into a garrison fortress for troops, as part of the campaign to subdue the highlands.

The building was encircled by a remarkable star-shaped defensive curtain wall at this time. Also, the upper works were altered, the original conical roofs of the angle turrets replaced with crenellations that provided strategic lookouts.

Braemar Castle remained a garrison until 1797, when the troops were withdrawn. Ten years later steps were taken to return the castle to the Farquarson's of Invercauld. But, another two generations would pass before the Castle was fully restored as a family home by the 12th laird, who also occasionally played host to Queen Victoria when she attended the Braemar Gathering.

According to at least one Website, Braemar Castle is still owned by the Farqarsons of Invercauld, who occasionally live within its walls.

The main entrance is at the foot of the large central stair tower and still retains it's massive iron yett (gate). The ground floor is vaulted and what once was the guardroom is now a small gift shop. (The old ammunition store is now full of stuffed animals!) The winding granite staircase leads you up into rooms that have been lived in for centuries.

The Dining Room, on the 1st floor, has many interesting features including a fine suite of Hepplewhite chairs and the sideboard of Adam design. The two globes flanking the fireplace – one terrestrial and the other celestial – date from 1818.

The display cases in the dining room contain a piece of tartan plaid once worn by Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), and – as further evidence of early Jacobite sympathies – a medal struck by Prince Charles in 1745 commemorating his epic venture. Also displayed are a variety of semi-precious stones, and a rare specimen of a blue topaz cairngorm; a late Bronze Age sword dating from approximately 800 B.C. (found in a nearby bog in 1826).

Also on this floor, in the morning room, can be seen the world's largest cairngorm, which weighs in at 52lbs. A cairngorm is a quartz rock crystal native to Scotland’s Cairngorm Mountain Range. Found in 1788 by Effie Morragh of “Castlton” (now “Braemar”), she sold this cairngorm for 40 pounds sterling – a fortune in those days.

On the 2nd floor, first you come to the Laird’s Day Room, entered by a noteworthy curved door.

Opposite to the Laird’s Day Room, and entered by ascending three steps (castles are notorious for unevenly built “levels”), is the Rose Room.

The Drawing Room has many points of interest, not least of which are many relics of former Government troops who were billeted here, and whose names are roughly incised on the window shutters. (Such as, 'John Chestnut, Sergeant, 1797.')

Peek at More Braemar Castle Rooms!
Rooms containing museum-like collections, and the Laird’s Pit.

OR! Go To the DAY FOUR EVENING PIX:
Dinner at the Moorfield Pub/Hotel

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