Summer in Scotland is a chance to explore everything outside. Believe it or not, we tend to get some rather warm weather in the summer, contrary to the well known dreich days of the traditional cold.
We've decided to share some of our favourite 17th century Scottish Gardens that are great for summer visits in order to make the most of the weather this year. Scottish gardens have less strict Covid restrictions and are also great locations to add to any future visits in years to come (when Covid is hopefully no longer a problem).
Drummond Castle, situated just outside the Perthshire droving town of Crieff, has one of the most spectacular gardens in Scotland.
The Castle was built in the 1490s by the 1st Lord John Drummond but the gardens themselves didn't come into transformation until the 1630s after the 2nd Earl of Perth 'John Drummond' succeeded in 1612. It is said that the Earl must of kept quite the significant garden as he was in possession of the sundial that is still present today, acquiring the title of one of Scotland's oldest sundial's.
The sundial was designed and built by John Mylne, master mason to Charles I, in 1630 for £32 and 18 shillings. It has 61 separate faces and is quite unique in it's obelisk design. The 24 sided ball sits atop a four piece shaft that displays some geometric cut outs. Standing tall above the 21 sided ball sits a 7 piece finial making it a spectacular centre piece of the garden.
The sundial has managed to survive a sieging by Cromwell in the 1650's which damaged parts of the Castle but were restored after the English troops left. In 1715 the 2nd Earl of Perth was part of the Jacobite rising which sadly saw the Drummonds losing their estate towards the 1740s and the castle and it's grounds were occupied by Hanoverian troops, resulting in the gardens being abandoned in 1745 after the second Jacobite rising.
Thankfully, the Drummonds were given back their estates in 1784 and set about modernising the buildings and grounds.
In 1892 the Castle and its gardens came into possession of the Barons Willoughby de Eresby, after the marriage of Peter Robert Willoughby to Clementina Drummond, daughter of James Drummond, the 11th Earl of Perth, in the early 19th century. Who re-established the parterre and formal terracing in front of the Castle.
Lewis Kennedy supplied most of the plants to the 'Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby's in the 19th century as the Kennedy's owned a Vineyard Nursery in Hammersmith, which supplied plants to many of Britain’s finest gardens. Lewis Kennedy was a gardener at Malmaison, France in the employment of Empress Josephine in his early which may have helped inspire how the plants were used in Drummond gardens.
In 1842 the gardens saw a visit from Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, who both found the gardens quite splendid stating that they 'walked in the garden which is really very fine, with terraces, like an old French garden'. During their visit Queen Victoria even planted two copper beech tree's in commemoration.
Today the garden is more simplified in it's design while still capturing a traditional French and Italian inspired style with it's fountains, terracing, urns and statuary. It's classical archways and kitchen garden is also something to be admired, drawing the surrounding countryside into the garden making it a tranquil oasis to the observer. This has been noted in the 1995 film of Rob Roy with Liam Neeson, John Hurt and Tim Roth and more recently in the popular TV series Outlander as the gardens of the Palace of Versailles in the second series.
While the Castle is private, the gardens are open to the public for an admission fee during June, July and August*. Wheelchair users are not charged an admission as certain areas of the garden may not be accessible via wheelchair due to the 17th century designs. To find out more about visiting click here.
*dates of opening were correct at time of writing in 2021 and are subject to change for years there after.
Sources:
Drummond Castle Gardens (2021) The History of The Garden, Available at: https://www.drummondcastlegardens.co.uk/garden-history/ (Accessed: 2nd July 2021).
Stravaiging Around Scotland (2021) Drummond Castle, Available at: http://www.stravaiging.com/history/castle/drummond-castle/ (Accessed: 2nd July 2021).
Sundials of Scotland (2013) Sundial Register, Available at: https://www.sundialsofscotland.co.uk/index_files/sundialregisterbyarea.pdf (Accessed: 2nd July 2021).
The Castles of Scotland (n/a) Drummond Castle, Available at: https://www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk/the-best-castles/grand-castles/drummond-castle/ (Accessed: 2nd July 2021).
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