Inveraray Castle

 Here comes another sweeping statement: best castle in Scotland, so far!

So we set off for this castle in the driving rain. Maybe a 70 minute drive. It is the seat of the Campbell Dukes of Argyll. So we are in southwest Scotland, in that county near Ireland.

The Campbells are a proud and ancient clan, almost always royalist. The started out as mere thanes, became earls, lost a few heads due to treasonable behaviour with the English civil wars, understandable really. But the heir of the last beheaded one had taken himself off to exile to the court of William and Mary in Holland. So in the Glorious Revolution that brought them to the British throne, the exile heir was given all his family lands back and made a Duke! For loyalty.

He did not waste this opportunity. He rebuilt a magnificent castle out of a local greeny-grey stone we have not seen before. It really is quite spectacular. The current and 13th Duke is called Torquhil Campbell, a Norse name from his mother’s side. His surname was really Gordon but to be chief he has to take on the surname Campbell. The10th Duke was concerned about insanity in his mother’s family, so chose not to have children, and the title passed to a first cousin once removed, who had to change his surname, see above.

The 9th Duke married Louisa, daughter of Queen Victoria, the first time a princess had married a commoner in 350 years. Louisa was a talented artist, and I spent an hour with Robyn, finding images of her and pieces of her art in the castle. We liked her because she defied her other to marry for love, and to go to art school! She made this bronze state of the Black Prince, a very convoluted ancestor.

We found a self portrait, a pen sketch of her, a painting of her wedding, several other statues she made and a painting of her mother in law wearing the brooch she had made, and which was in a display case.

Guess who - easy, it is her mother Queen Victoria, but was is she made from?

Biscuit ware, apparently wafer thin.

Below, on her wedding day.

That is her next to the lamp. Below that is her paintings of her mother in law, wearing the brooch she designed. She also designed a lot of badges for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander regiments, as she was their Colonel-in-chief.

Of course there were the usual opulent rooms of all description as you can see, but also a very impressive Armoury room with weapons used at Culloden, when the Dukes of Argyll were on the winning side as supporters of King George.

There was of course nature, and one of our group while walking in the gardens in the constant drizzle, found this rare species of squirrel:

Cute, isn’t it.