GLAMIS CASTLE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 214, 24 August 1931, Page 8

GLAMIS CASTLE

MEMORIES OF, A VISIT PICTURESQUE MEDIAEVALISM. [By T.O.L.] A recent cable described an interesting scene at Glamis Castle, in which the central figure was the most popular little Princess in the Empire —Princess Elizabeth. Said the cable: “With her curls flying above her pink coat, Princess Elizabeth danced a Highland fling while the pipers played at the Glamis Castle garden party given by her grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. Princess Margaret was wheeled on to the lawn in her perambulator, surrounded by an admiring throng. “Many guests were in national costume, the Duke of York wearing the Stuart tartan kilt. The King and Queen presented the Earl and Countess with a gold biscuit barrel to mark the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary.” In the following article, “T.O.L.’’ describes the background that acted as the setting for this interesting ceremony, and gives us a glimpse into the history of the historic house of Strathmore. A recent cable, writes “T.0.L.,” stated that increasing taxation might result in the closing of the ancient Glamis Castle. Lord Strathmore, the owner, said that the times were becoming so bad that he might be unable to remain in residence at the castle. Post-war taxation is changing the life of the whole countryside at Home. The possession of large areas of land was once regarded as a mark of social standing. The lord or squire might be a wealthy man, but to have any social position or prestige he must also have broad acres, and a large number at that. Hence it was the ambition of the founders of the old English or Scottish families to aggregate large estates. To make profitable use of the land was quite another matter. Much of it was used as deer parks or hunting country. It still is. There are other large estates that have come down to the present owners from their forefathers in Norman times that are put to profitable use and leased to tenant fanners (the landed gentry, then as now, would scorn to farm their own land). In this category are the extensive estates of Lord Strathmore in Forfarshire. They are picturesquely situated in a broad, flat and fertile valley with the range of the Grampian mountains to the north, and the round, grassy Sidlaw hills forming a screen to the south. In the valley, about five miles west of the village of Forfar, rises the ancient Glamis Castle (pronounced as one syllable word rhyming with “alms”). Its main feature is a great square tower, profusely adorned with sculptures, battlements, pinnacles and pepperbox turrets. INTERESTING DRIVE. When at Glen Eagles, the members of the Imperial Press Conference were invited by the Earl of Strathmore to visit Glamis. The invitation was eagerly accepted, especially by the ladies, who naturally desired to see the home of the Duchess of York, the most popular woman in the Kingdom. The motor drive through Perthshire and Forfarshire will long be remembered. It was a beautiful day in the early Scottish summer, and the country was looking at its best. From the village of Forfar the party drove through a narrow lane fringed with laburnum in full bloom, to the entrance of the Castle grounds, thence through corridors of stately elms, sycamores, oaks, beeches and chestnut trees that must have been planted hundreds of years ago. The old land barons had a keen eye for the beautiful and picturesque in choosing sites for and planning their castles. Though Glamis is not on an eminence, as are so many of the fuedal castles, being in the “Great Glen” itself, it is conspicuous in its beautiful setting’of trees and open spaces and background of hills, on which in the distance may be descried curious watch towers that hundred of years ago communicated good or evil tidings to the inmates of the impregnable castle. HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS. The party were met by a son of the Earl and officials of the estate, some greybeards being amongst them who had spent the whole of their long lives in the service of their chief and his father and who. in word, demeanour and dress harmonised completely with the ancient and picturesque surroundings. For the nonce the party forgot life as they had been seeing and experiencing it . They had unconsciously relapsed into the medieval period—castle, woods, men and all. For the next few hours they thought not of events and things of 1930 but were imbibing the atmosphere of the 14th and 15th centuries. It was a pleasant trance only broken when the party returned through the gates, carefully unlocked by the keeper of the gates (an old lady, her “guid mon” having pre-deceased her) and they were back on the beautiful embowered lane to Forfar

And the Castle itself! It was built more for strength and defence than for architectural beauty and symmetry. The walls are from 10 to 12 feet thick and the rest of the building, or cluster of buildings, is similarly massive. In the basement is the kitchen. And what a kitchen! It could be described as a bar. racks, as in truth it was in the old days, having to accommodate and vitual regiments of pikemen, archers and horsemen. The stone forming the floor and the stairways to and from it were worn concave by the feet of many men of many centuries. During the Great War the castle was used as a hospital or convalescent home, which accounts for the large number of modern ovens to be seen in tho spacious room. The ancient ovens are still there, and capacious ovens they are. Evidently labour in the medieval times was no consideration. All the food had to be taken by hand up the steep stairs to the dining room, which is beautifully panelled in oak. Here may be seen the oil paintings and arms of tho successive holders of the title and of the families with which they inter-married. In such interesting and historic surroundings tea was served to the men and wo men of the party who had come from the four corners of the globe. INTERIOR FEATURES. Then there is “the great hall,” which is about t>o feet long by about 25 feet wide, with stone benches for

window seats, and ancient oak chairs carved with the family anna. But / the most interesting feature of the castle is the chapel, with its wonderfully painted roof. The same artist, de Witt by name, painted Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh. Here the marriage of the beautiful daughter of the house with the Duke of York was solemnised. Then the party was introduced to the “Duchess's room,’’ which the Duchess of York a few weeks later occupied and which is reserved for her when she visits Glamis. It is a beautiful room, fltti-1 and furnished in a quiet yet effect .<• way without the modern clashing with the ancient massive stone walls and heavy timbers supporting the eeilinj From it a commanding view is obtained of the magnificent park and the surrounding Scottish farm lands. To the tower one must climb 14<J steep steps, mainly built in the thick ness of the wall. It was related that it took 18 years—from 1668 to 1689— to rebuild the castle, and that Patrick, the third Earle of Kinghonie and first Earl of Strathmore, in his diary described the workmen engaged on the work as both incompetent and lazy, so that “cw canny’’ is no mo. dern industrial device. The casfle is much as Patrick left it. The tower partly encloses and partly consists of all that remains of the original tenth century castle.