In honour of the Queen’s passing, I thought I’d do a post of the castle in which she passed, and the palace where her remains were brought before leaving Scotland for London.
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral has been a Royal Holiday home for approximately 170 years. Balmoral is a 50,000 acre estate located in Aberdeenshire. The architecture style is Scottish baronial and Gothic revival. The original castle bought by Prince Albert was eventually considered too small for their growing family and was torn down. The current building made of local granite, was built by William Smith, the son of John Smith who had been used for some of the expansions. The whole of the property consists of parkland, woodland, arboretum, woodland walks, shrubberies, and gardens. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were very involved in the landscape design of James Beattie. It was the Queen’s happy place. She spent several weeks during the summer there. Her last official portrait after meeting Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Drawing Room
Dining Room
Study
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British monarchy in Scotland. It was conceived as an Augustinian monastery in 1128. The original design was the creation of Sir William Bruce between 1671 and 1678. The palace has been home to Mary Queen of Scots – a home where she married her Scottish husbands and alas witness the murder of her secretary and confidant David Rizzio. King George V commissioned architect Sir William Bruce to make significant improvements in the 20th century. In 1920 the palace was designated as the monarch’s official residence in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II would spend one week of the year at Hollyroodhouse – Holyrood Week. The gardens and the palace are within Holyrood Park.
Great Gallery
Kings Bedchamber
Mary Queen of Scotts, Bedroom
Throne Room
