Highland Fling

The people of Scotland are preparing to vote either to remain a part of the United Kingdom or to become a separate country. Queen Elizabeth II, who refrains from making political statements, spoke to the Scots on Sunday and urged them to "think very carefully about the future" (Source). Scotland has been a part of the United Kingdom for more than 300 years, and the British monarch and her family have strong personal ties to the country. Queen Elizabeth enjoys her summer stays at Balmoral, her Scottish estate, and Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, met while studying at the University of St. Andrews. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and his three sons were educated at Gordonstoun in Moray, Scotland. Prince Charles led efforts to save and restore Dumfries House, an 18th-century Palladian villa in Ayrshire, Scotland. Even the fictional cast of Downton Abbey traveled from England to Scotland at the end of Season Three to visit "Shrimpie," the Marquess of Flintshire, at Duneagle Castle, which actually is Inveraray Castle in Argyll.

"The Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their children at home at Inveraray Castle in the Scottish Highlands." Inveraray Castle is open to the public between April 1 and October 31.

"McDownton! It's the TV event of Christmas... and we've been given a sneak preview - by the Scottish aristocrats whose stately home bagged a starring role" by Charlotte Eagar.

Daily Mail UK (December 8, 2012).

Overhead view of Inveraray Castle, home of the Duke of Argyll (Chief of the Clan Campbell) and his family.
Photo via the Inveraray Castle website.

  

"Scottish break: New faces Shrimpie Flintshire (Peter Egan) and Susan Flintshire (Phoebe Nicholls) appear in what is the home of Lady Rose (Lily James), who was sent home in the last episode of series three after her dalliance with a married man."

"Downton Abbey: TV's beloved upper class clan swap their English manor house for spectacular Scottish castle after filming Christmas Day special in the Highlands" by Liz Thomas.

Photo copyright: Carnival Films.

Daily Mail UK (December 7, 2012).

 "The shooting party: Matthew Crawley and Lord Grantham indulge their passion for shooting while visiting Duneagle Castle, home of Dowager Countess's cousin, the Marquess of Flintshire."

Photo copyright: Carnival Films.

"McDownton! It's the TV event of Christmas... and we've been given a sneak preview - by the Scottish aristocrats whose stately home bagged a starring role" by Charlotte Eagar.

Daily Mail UK (December 8, 2012).

"Inveraray Castle was the chosen location for the Downton Abbey Christmas 2012 episode. Dinner was held in the State Dining Room, sparkling with Argyll family silver and gold nefs."

Photo and text via Inveraray Castle website.

"Inveraray Castle was the chosen location for the Downton Abbey Christmas 2012 episode. Dinner was held in the State Dining Room, sparkling with Argyll family silver and gold nefs."

Photo and text via Inveraray Castle website.

According to Wikipedia, a nef is "an extravagant table ornament and container used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, made of precious metals in the shape of a ship – nef was another word for a carrack in French. If not just used for decoration, it could hold salt or spices (the latter being very expensive in the Middle Ages), or cutlery, or even napkins."

"Looking for a catch: Duneagle Castle . . . with deer stalking and fishing on the doorstep."

"McDownton! It's the TV event of Christmas... and we've been given a sneak preview - by the Scottish aristocrats whose stately home bagged a starring role" by Charlotte Eagar.

Daily Mail UK (December 8, 2012).

"Summer holidays at Balmoral involve plenty of country walks, as this photo of the Queen, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Prince Philip reveals."
Balmoral, the Scottish castle privately owned by Queen Elizabeth, who spends much of her summer there. 
"Family barbecues, picnics on the lawn and corgis galore: As the Queen begins her summer break at Balmoral, a peek inside her holiday photo album" by Ruth Styles.
Daily Mail UK (August 1, 2014).

"Ruins of St. Andrews Castle overlook Castle Beach."

Photography by Dominic Blackmore.

Text by Candace Ord Manroe.

"St. Andrews Around Town" produced by Krissa Rossbund and Mick Schnepf.

Traditional Home.

Edinburgh Castle.
Photography: Nick Dryhurst/PCL/Super Stock/Corbis.
"Elle Decor Goes to Glasgow and Edinburgh" by Ian Phillips.
Elle Decor (February/March 2011).

Edinburgh's skyline.
Photography by David Robertson/Alamy.
"Elle Decor Goes to Glasgow and Edinburgh" by Ian Phillips.
Elle Decor (February/March 2011).

"A parade during the annual Edinburgh Festivals."
Photography by Steven Vidler/Eurasia Press/Corbis.
"Elle Decor Goes to Glasgow and Edinburgh" by Ian Phillips.
Elle Decor (February/March 2011).

 "Family Portrait. From left: Stella Tennant, Iris (with bunny), Cecily, Marcel, Jasmine, David Lasnet and Quill, their black lab, on the family’s 1740s Scottish estate. 

Photography by Alexis Armanet.

"Married With Children" by Gaby Wood.

T Magazine (September 9, 2011).

 "Iris jumps on the trampoline as father and Dervish, the family’s whippet, look on."

18th-century Scottish home of model Stella Tennant, husband David Lasnet, and their children.

Photography by Alexis Armanet.

"Married With Children" by Gaby Wood.

T Magazine (September 9, 2011).

In the hills above Loch Ness.
Photo via Visit Loch Ness Facebook page.

Fourth grade photo of me (on left) before Scottish dancing program at my school.

Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, was featured in Architectural Digest in April 2008 and again in February 2012. Here is the estate as it appeared in 2008:

"Dumfries House, in Ayrshire, Scotland, was built by John, Robert and James Adam for the fifth Earl of Dumfries between 1754 and 1760. 'It was such a rare example of a house with the majority of its original furniture still in place,' notes Prince Charles, whose last-minute intervention saved the estate and its contents from being sold."

Photography by Derry Moore.

Text by Gerald Clarke.

"Saving Dumfries"

Architectural Digest (April 2008).

The entrance hall of Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, which was built by John, Robert and James Adam for the fifth Earl of Dumfries between 1754 and 1760.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

 "Although local craftsmen contributed to furnishing the house, the main public rooms were outfitted with pieces made by Thomas Chippendale. Part of the drawing room suite finds a temporary home in the dining room. Giltwood girandoles flank a portrait of the fifth Earl of Dumfries by Thomas Hudson."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

 "The monumental rosewood bookcase in the white drawing room epitomizes Chippendale’s style."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

 "An arched corridor is part of an 1890s extension, involving the east and west wings, that was designed by architect Robert Weir Schultz."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

"One of a pair of chinoiserie mirrors delivered by Chippendale in 1759."
 Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

 "A trompe l’oeil panel by Jacob de Wit hangs above the north drawing room’s mantel. Schultz added delft tiles to some of the fireplaces to improve the draw."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

 "Alexander Peter supplied no fewer than eight beds for Dumfries. A Chippendale mirror frames a Savonnerie panel by Thomas Moore."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

"One of Peter’s carved and gilded cornices is directly based on an earlier Chippendale pattern."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

"The State Bed was the most expensive piece of the commission. Chippendale added its design to the 1762 edition of his book, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director."

Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Photography by Derry Moore.

Text by Gerald Clarke.
"Saving Dumfries"
Architectural Digest (April 2008).

The following photos of Dumfries House appeared in the February 2012 edition of Architectural Digest:

"Prince Charles (known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland) stands at the entrance to the Tapestry Room of Dumfries House, which was preserved for posterity through his efforts."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"Designed by the brothers Adam and furnished by cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, Dumfries House is considered the most gloriously intact 18th-century house in Scotland."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"A painting by Jacob de Heusch is displayed in the entrance hall, and the trio of hall chairs is from a set of eight by Alexander Peter. The frieze alternates Order of the Thistle stars with the mythical wyvern, a Crichton family crest."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"Upholstered in a custom-woven silk damask and positioned on a mid-18th-century Axminster carpet, the mahogany chairs and settee in the Blue Drawing Room were supplied by Chippendale in 1759; he also created the rare rosewood breakfront bookcase. The Murano-glass chandelier is original to Dumfries House, and the portraits are on loan from a private collector."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"In addition to Chippendale elbow chairs and card tables, the Family Parlor includes a camelback sofa by Peter and a harpsichord by Jacob Kirkman."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"Emblems of the harvest are carved into the paneling of the Pink Dining Room; the painting is by Venetian artist Jacopo Bassano, and the curtains are ornamented with antique tassels and trim."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"Portraits fill the walls of a skylit gallery, which contains cockpen chairs (possibly by Chippendale) as well as Louis XVI–style gilt-wood armchairs by R. Whytock and Co.; traditional rush matting is scattered with small rugs."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"The Tapestry Room, completed in 1908 by architect Robert Weir Schultz and paneled in bleached American walnut, was designed to house four circa-1700 Gobelins weavings presented by Louis XIV to an ancestor of the seventh Marquess of Bute, former owner of Dumfries House."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"Peter armchairs and a 1759 Chippendale library table are among the furnishings placed in Lord Dumfries’s Study; it was originally a dressing room."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"A Christopher Moore printed linen, based on an 18th-century document, is used in this south-facing sitting room, which was decorated for the use of the Prince of Wales; the gilt-wood pier glass was made by Mathie in 1759, and the walls are painted with Farrow and Ball’s Vert de Terre."

Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"A team of 20 artisans restored the Chippendale four-post bed in the Family Bedroom; brilliant blue silk damask covers even the canopy’s cresting. Above the fireplace is a gilt-wood overmantel, also by Chippendale; Alexander Peter designed the bedside cupboards as well as the chair and stool, which retain their 18th-century floral tapestry covers."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"A gilt-wood four-post bed hung with a Jean Monro chintz from Clarence House dominates a bedroom."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"The same Jean Monro chintz is used throughout the room."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

"The original main approach to Dumfries House brought visitors over the Adam Bridge, which spans the River Lugar."
Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

The River Lugar.
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by James Reginato.
"Restoration Drama" produced by James Reginato and Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (February 2012).

Photo via Facebook page of Visit Loch Ness.