Glenbuchat Castle is a ruined Tower House in Aberdeenshire.

We visited it on our trip up north last August.

The approach is over a stretch of grass.

Closer view:-

The castle wasn’t open to the public as there were works going on.

Rear view showing turrety stair tower:-

Craigievar Castle is about six miles from Alford in Aberdeenshire. The castle is a fairly conventional turreted tower structure but is strikingly pink.

Craigievar Castle from car park:-

Castle from approach road:-

From east:-

Entrance:-

The castle has a barmkin:-

Barmkin with castle in background:-

Doorway in barmkin:-

Barmkin turret with door:-

Since we were up in the area anyway for me to tick Balmoral Stadium from the list of Scottish Football Grounds I’d not seen Sons play at we took the opportunity to visit Castle Fraser near Kemnay in Aberdenshire.

Castle from approach road:-

Castle entrance:-

From west:-

Castle from southeast:-

From south:-

Model of castle:-

Castle courtyard from roof:-

Castle turret:-

Prior to September last year we hadn’t actually managed to get inside the castle after which the town of Barnard Castle is named. But then we finally maaged.

Entrance from inside:-

The castle as it was:-

The Castle was divided into two main Wards, the Town Ward and the Outer Ward, with a smaller Inner Ward and Mid Ward towards the west.

Building on eastern perimeter, part of TownWard:-

Inner Ward from internal pathway:-

Part of Outer Ward:-

Earlier this week the good lady noticed that there was an exhibition of the works of John Henry Lorimer at the City Art Centre Edinburgh. That was only just in time. The exhibition opened in November but finishes tomorrow!

I have mentioned this artist before. And not just the once.

On Thursday (17^th) we made post-haste to see the exhibition before it closed.

One of the first of his pictures previously unfamiliar to me was The Long Shadows painted, like so much of his work, in the grounds of Kellie Castle in Fife. This photo does not do it justice:-

Lorimer was a good portraitist. One of the paintings on show depicted the ordination of elders in a Scottish Kirk. The figures were so lifelike in all their Calvinistic awfulness I couldn’t bear to inflict it on myself or you.

This portrait is of Lorimer’s architect brother Robert Stodart Lorimer, who designed over 300 War Memorials including the Scottish National War Memorial which lies in Edinburgh Castle:-

Typical of Lorimer’s painting of light and very like Spring Moonlight (see first link above) in its use of candlelight is Grandmother’s Birthday:-

Maternal Instinct by contrast contains very Victorian subject matter. Unfortunately reflections in the glass spoil this a little:-

The window in this one features in many of Lorimer’s paintings. I think this is The Birthday Party:-

Despite no overt lighting depiction this domestic subject is unmistakably Lorimer:-

Another fine portrait – of a lady. Unfortunately I forget whom:-

A well as oils Lorimer was very good with watercolour. This, The Gyles House, Pittenweem, is the house in Pittenweem to which the artist retired:-

Housework’s Aureole. In real life this treatment of light falling through a window onto a wall is superb. The photo is nothing by comparison:-

The exhibition’s poster image was Flight of the Swallows:-

Many more Paintings by Lorimer can be found at Art UK.

There are two formal gardens in the grounds of Glamis Castle.

Walled garden gateway:-

Walled garden interior:-

Italian garden entrance:-

Italian garden interior:-

Glamis Castle from Italian garden:-

Fountain in Italian garden:-

Italian garden and trees:-

In the castle grounds we found this “fairy ring” of fungi:-

Colourful fungi:-

Thee’s a frog in this one just below left of the leftmost mushroom:-

I forgot to include this photo of Glamis Castle’s Billiard Room in my previous post:-

Despite the castle never having been built as a stronghold this intertnal door is still pretty sturdy:-

View through door to china collection:-

Powder Room. I forget now if this was used for storing gunpowder or it was the US meaning. The former I should think:-

After the tour of the castle proper comes a set of exhibition rooms with various exhibits.

Countess of Strathmore’s Wedding Dress:-

Information on Countess of Strathmore’s Wedding Dress:-

Doll’s’ House. I believe this was played with by Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later to be Queen Consort and Queen Mother:-

During the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion James III, as they knew him, but called the Old Pretender by Hanoverians, spent the night in Glamis Castle. He left his watch behind:-

World’s oldest tartan:-

Dolls in Glamis Castle. The taller one on the right here is in the image of the young Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon:-

As is common with stately homes, Glamis Castle has some sumptuous ceilings.

Drawing room ceiling:-

Dining room ceiling:-

Chapel ceiling and altar:-

Curiously, one of the first rooms on the tour is the Crypt Armoury:-

Stained glass coat of arms:-

Stairs and antlers:-

Glamis Castle is one of Scotland’s most iconic. It’s not a castle in usual sense. It wasn’t built as a stronghold and has never suffered seige. It is perhaps most famous for being the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who married Prince Albert, became Queen Consort on his accession after the Abdication and so Empress of India and of course gave birth to the present Queen of the United Kingdom (and may other territories besides.)

The castle has avery long drivewat up to it from Glamis village.

Glamis Castle from end of driveway approach:-

The car park is round the back. Glamis Castle from Car Park:-

This fountain-like structure is on the grass opposite the castle:-

This photo was taken several yaers ago when we visited the grounds only:-

There are extensive grounds to the side and rear of the castle. Glamis Castle from east:-

In one of the exhibition areas inside there was this model of the castle which also shows its extent:-

I did not include this photo of the main information board at Edzell Castle in my first post about it so here it is now:-

Nor this one for the walled garden:-

This board in the visitor centre exhibition is about the then laird of Edzell Castle, David Lindsay, being a signatory of the National Address which put in motion the sequence of events which led to the Darien Disaster, Scotland’s ill-fated attempt to set up a colony in what is now Panama:-