Last modified on 21 August 2000.


Encyclopædia Galactica

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Blair Castle

Drawing of the Blair Castle groundsDrawing of the Blair Castle grounds

1 - Blair Castle, the main entrance
2 - Car & coach park
3 - Exhibition hall, Gift shop & Restaurant
4 - Deer park
5 - Pony centre & horse meadows
6 - Diana's grove
7 - St. Bride's Kirk
8 - Old Blair
9 - Hercules garden
10 - Children's play area



Click any miniature photo to see a larger version (physical size varies between 93 and 265 kB).

Blair Castle Blair Castle.

Blair Castle main gate Main gate to Blair Castle grounds.

Highland cattle A few Highland cattle grazing next to the main gate (presumably placed there to lure tourists to stop and come in).

Camping area On the castle grounds a large and tidy camping area seems to be quite popular.

Castle avenue A long avenue leads from the main gate to the castle.

Blair Castle main entrance Blair Castle main entrance.

Arms collection, part 1A (very small) part of arms collection at the entrance hall.

Arms collection, part 2 Another part of the arms collection.

John, the 1st Duke of Atholl John, the 1st Duke of Atholl (6 May 1684 - 11 September 1709 in a battle at Malplaquet).

The Dining Room The Dining Room: Built by James, the 2nd Duke of Atholl in the 18th century. Paintings by Thomas Bradwell. Silver stag on a base of Glen Tilt marble on top of the table was silver wedding gift to 7th Duke and Dutchess by the Atholl tenants in 1888.

The Dining Room ceiling The Dining Room: Masterful ceiling by Thomas Clayton. Flags are those of the Atholl Highlanders.

Grandfather clock The Derby Room: 'Grandfather' clock in English lacquer long case made by Hally in 1737.

The Red Bedroom The Red Bedroom: 18th century four-poster bedstead made by William Masters in 1750.

Irish Elk Irish Elk: From Ballaugh, Isle of Man. Found 5.5 metres (18 ft) below surface in 1819. Approximate width of antlers 2.5 metres.

Knight in shining armour A late mediaeval armour of a knight and his horse for tournament.

The Ballroom The Ballroom: Built in 1876/7 by the 7th Duke of Atholl. Over one hundred deer antlers decorate the walls and the collection of weapons, drums, chain armour, and other souvenirs brought from the Sudan campaign by the 8th Duke is the best of its kind, including that in the Kalifa's palace. The Ballroom is used for balls, dinners, concerts, wedding receptions, and the Annual Glenfiddich World Piping Championships.

A piper A piper plays bagpipes thrice every day in front of the castle.

Blair Castle seen from Diana's Grove Blair Castle seen from the direction of the Diana's Grove.

Blair Castle from the back Blair Castle seen from the direction of horse meadows.

Horse meadows The Blair Castle horse meadows. A large number of deer and white horses were grazing on these meadows.

Diana's Grove Diana's Grove: a park of planted trees from North America and elsewhere.

A 59 m Douglas Fir The tallest tree, 59 metre Douglas Fir, in the Diana's Grove. All trees in the grove are numbered and catalogued and next to some of them is a sign board with information about the tree.

A Giant Redwood A 41 metre tall Giant Redwood from California. The bark of the tree is very soft and yields to the pressure of a finger - many people have tested this themselves as can be seen from the lowest part of the tree trunk.

Interesting branch structure Some trees have developed a complex structure of branches - like this one with huge branches high on the tree.

St. Bride's Kirk St. Bride's Kirk: an old chapel behind the Diana's Grove. John Graham of Claverhouse alias 'Bonnie Dundee', a leader of the Jacobites, was buried here after he was killed in the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689.

Hercules Walk A view from the castle front door towards Hercules Walk leading to the Hercules Garden.

Hercules Garden Hercules Garden: A traditional walled garden that is under transformation into a more natural garden. In the middle of the garden lies a long rectangular pond that was used for winter sports and games in the 1700s and 1800s but not any more, since the pond has not frozen in several decades.

A view from the Statue of Hercules A view from the Statue of Hercules. (I didn't take a photo of the statue as it was not a superb example of the art of sculpture.)

A view towards the castle A view towards the castle.

A side entrance A side entrance to the castle grounds.




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Created by Rami T. F. Rekola