Sometimes we’ll happen upon a quiet little burg that doesn’t seem to have a whole lot going on only to discover that it has a rich and varied history that stretches back a millennium. Deal is indeed one of those places.
Deal lies just 8 miles northeast of Dover where the North Sea meets the English Channel. between the Strait of Dover and the Thames Estuary. Now a resort town, in 1278 it was the busiest port in England. Historic accounts suggest that four or five hundred ships would be visible from the beach while they waited for a slight change in wind direction that would allow them to proceed into the North Sea or down the Channel towards London, which was then the largest port in the world for sailing vessels. Countless invading forces and pretenders to the throne have landed here only to be beaten back by locals on this very beach. World changing battles have played out in the waters just off shore. The Spanish Armada was twice defeated in full view of the town, first in 1588 by the English and then again in 1639 by the Dutch.
Deal was a town of many firsts. This is the possible location of Julius Caesar’s arrival in England. It was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1078 and was also the first English soil that James Cook set foot on when returning from his first voyage to Australia in 1771. In literature, more protagonists, heroes and nefarious villains have sprung from this little town than you could imagine. Over the years Deal has played an important role in countless novels by some of the world’s most famous authors including Jane Austen, Daniel Defoe, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Patrick O’Brian, H. G. Wells and, most recently, Anthony Horowitz.
Tudor Era – Deal Castle
The Deal Pier
This is the third pier in the town’s history. The first was a wooden structure built in 1838 and then destroyed by gale force winds in 1857. It was replaced by an iron pier in 1864 that survived until being struck by a Dutch ship in 1940. The present pier was opened in 1957 by the Duke of Edinburgh and is the last remaining fully intact leisure pier in Kent.
The Deal Pier
Boatsmen
The Deal boatmen were internationally famous for their skilled seamanship and bravery in operating their locally-built craft. Only the severest weather prevents the larger working boats from being able to launch.
The Time Ball Tower
This device was used by ships at sea and in the harbor to set their marine chronometers to ensure proper navigation. Ships navigators and captains would watch the tower through their telescopes. At exactly 1pm each day a signal was sent from Greenwich to the tower and the ball would quickly drop.
The Deal Time Ball Tower
When I first saw the Time Ball Tower I thought, what a clever idea and so unusual. I could not have been more wrong. As a mechanism these date back to before Alexander the Great when the Greeks used them in their city squares. Although now they just historical oddities and have been completely replaced by electronic time pieces, there are still at least six in Australia, one in Canada, three in New Zealand, one in Poland, one in South Africa, two in Spain, eight in England and four in America including the most famous one of all, the one that drops in Time Square every New Year’s Eve.
“oh yeah, hurry on down Come on now, meet me on South Street, the hippest street in town” The Orlons – 1963
This is a much quoted and often misunderstood remark. Supposedly Napoleon, in 1794, described England as “a nation of shopkeepers”, referring to Adam Smith’s remarks in “The Wealth of Nations” from 1776. At the time Britain was the envy of the world and the phrase would have been a positive one. Britain being a nation filled with hard-working, local, small-scale productive enterprises providing jobs and serving the community.
Some have considered it a damning remark and that Napoleon was alluding to a nation of little ambition that was far too concerned with commerce to be a match for his army. However, the English newspaper, the Morning Post, in 1832 referred to the comment as complimentary as it applied to a nation which has derived its principal prosperity from its commercial greatness.
I am only sure of two things, the English did not like Napoleon at all and there are indeed a lot of small shops.
These magnificent chalk cliffs hovering over the Port of Dover are much more than a geological oddity or a world renowned international tourist attraction. Like the State of Liberty is to Americans, these white ledges are an enduring symbol of British identity and pride. They represent home and hearth, warm and safety, shelter and tranquillity, all the best emotions that returning home from time away can fill you with. The sight of them rising from the mist has filled seamen, airmen and world travelers with confidence, hope and relief for ages. During World War II their significance was elevated even further. Like the iron gate of a castle, they came to represent strength, courage and an undying sense of perseverance and steadfastness.
Vera Lynn – The Forces Sweetheart
“There’ll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover Tomorrow just you wait and see There’ll be love and laughter and peace ever after Tomorrow when the world is free”
Perhaps no one did more to solidify the White Cliffs of Dover’s reputation as a symbol of hope during WW II than Vera Lynn. Known as the “Forces Sweetheart”, she sang hits like “We’ll Meet Again” and “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover” to troops from air fields and munitions plants in England, across the Middle East to India and Burma.
Vera Lynn 1943
Pink Floyd Remembers
In 1978, Roger Waters thoughts turned to Vera Lynn when he wrote “Vera”, for the Wall album. Pink, a disillusioned rock star, watches the WW II film ” The Battle of Britain” and sings, “Remember how she said that/We would meet again/Some sunny day?/Vera, Vera/What has become of you?” Well, apparently quite a few people did remember Vera. She had a career that spanned over 65 years. In 2000 she was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century. She lived to be 103.
Beningbrough is one of the most remarkable houses in all of England. The grand interiors, amazing woodwork and exquisite gardens are second to none and yet very little is known about Beningbrough’s past.
Ralph Bourchier inherited the estate in 1556, but the mansion we see today was built by John Bourchier (1685 – 1736) and his wife, the wealthy heiress, Mary Bellwood (1683–1746).
Sir John Bourchier spent two years in Italy during his Grand Tour of Europe. He was so impressed by his time there that several years after his return John built the current Beningbrough Hall in an Italianate baroque architectural style. It was his marriage to Mary Bellwood that provided funds to do so. The Hall was completed in 1716 and would become the family home for 150 years.
Beningbrough Hall
The Great Staircase
Completed in 1716, this truly remarkable staircase is an exquisite example of early 18th century craftsmanship. Hand built by York wood craver William Thornton, all three floors of inlaid wood treads are suspended on cantilevered iron rods giving the whole staircase the appearance of floating in air with no visible means of support. All the balustrades are hand craved oak designed to look like wrought iron.
During the second world war RAF servicemen damaged some of the balustrades. Lady Chesterfield hired York based master craftsman Derek Wall to do the repairs which are remarkably indistinguishable from the originals.
The gardens that surround the estate are being reworked by award winning landscape designer Andy Sturgeon.
Florence Jane Helen Wilson – Lady Chesterfield’s Mother
Sir John Bourchier – The Threat of Confiscation
Sir John Bourchier (1595 – 1660)
Sir John Bourchier’s father suffered from mental illness and was declared legally incompetent in 1598. His upbringing became the responsibility of his strictly Puritan uncle. This greatly influenced his young nephew’s political and religious beliefs. He never believed that God spoke directly through the Monarch. When King Charles I dissolved Parliament and sought to raise money through Forced Loans in 1627, Sir John refused to go along with the scheme. The English Civil War broke out in 1642 and John was arrested and imprisoned in York. After his release he was elected to Parliament and sat as a judge at King Charles’ trial. Sir John was one of 59 men to put his signature and seal on the King’s death warrant.
The Execution of Charles I – January, 30 1649 “Men cried, women fainted and the crowd groaned”.
After the Monarchy was restored in 1660 all the signers were ruthlessly pursued. The elderly Bourchier was captured but was too ill to be tried for regicide. In the end he remained unrepentant saying, ‘I tell you, it was a just act; God and all good men will own it.’ Through political ties, his son, Barrington, somehow rescued the property from confiscation by King Charles II and managed to keep Beningbrough in the family.
The Honorable Enid Edith Wilson, Countess of Chesterfield
In 1900, at the age of 21, Enid married Edwin Scudamore-Stanhope, a man twice her age, and became the Countess of Chesterfield. Her father bought Beningbrough Hall as a wedding gift for the couple. In the early 1920s Lady Chesterfield started to raise thoroughbred racehorses. Her husband died in 1933 and she stayed on at the hall until her death in 1957. The couple had no children and Beningbrough was then acquired by the National Trust in lieu of death duties.
The Second World War
When WWII broke out and the house was requisitioned by the RAF. Clifford Hill, one of the soldiers living on the estate, recalls an encounter with Lady Chesterfield. She was very irate that he and his companions were mistreating her gardens. She is reported to have said to them, “Good luck boys, and keep off my vegetables”.
The Race To The Bar
The airmen risked their lives every night on bombing raids in enemy territory. All sorts of capers were dreamed up to relieve their stress. If you could run from the bar, the full length of the house, up the stairs, along the top floor and then back down to the bar in one minute, you won a free pint. It was a mad rush. Running, push bikes, and on at least one occasion, a motorbike was used to try and win the pint.
The Tredegar House dates back to the medieval age. The red brick house, described as a ‘faire place of stone’, was built in the 1670s by Sir William Morgan and his wife, Blanche. The wealthy couple turned the old stone manor house into an extravagant and fashionable country mansion. But it was really Sir Charles Gould Morgan, a brilliant businessman, who in the late 1700s expanded the estate to over 40,000 acres and with mining and shrewd investments solidified the family wealth for almost 200 years.
Tredegar House
The Edney Gate
The Edney Gates were made and erected, between 1714 and 1718, at a cost of over £1,000. That would be over $250,000 today.
I found this a somewhat troubling courtyard. It is very large and completely enclosed in the center of the house with nothing in it except a lamp post and hand pump. You enter it through one of only two small doors. It has no access to outside the building. I asked the docent what was it used for. He said, “Ya know, stuff.”
Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar
The Crimean War broke out in 1854 when a 22 year old Godfrey was a captain in the 17th Lancers. He was anxious to make a name for himself and led his section of the Light Brigade into the ‘Valley of Death’ at the Battle of Balaclava. Both the Viscount and his famous horse, ‘Sir Briggs’, returned to Tredegar heroes. ‘Sir Briggs’ was well cared for and lived to be 28. He was buried in the Cedar Garden at Tredegar House with full military honors.
Sir Godfrey Morgan & Sir Briggs at The Battle of Balaclava
How The Mighty Have Fallen
Sir Evan Morgan
Godfrey’s great-nephew Evan marks the end of the Morgan family at Tredegar House. Evan was a multi-millionaire that never even thought about working. He was considered one of the most outrageous and toxic eccentrics to ever stain the aristocracy. He threw wild parties, befriended occultists and practiced black magic. One of his favorite party tricks was to hide a parrot in his clothes only to have it emerge from the zipper of his trousers to the amusement of his drunken party guests. Although a notoriously promiscuous and flamboyant homosexual, he somehow managed to marry twice. First to an English actress and then to the Russian princess Olga Sergeivna Dolgorouky, which was annulled less than four years later. Evan died in 1949, disgraced, broke and without an heir. His relatives were forced to sell Tredegar House to pay debts and estate taxes.
Yo Ho Ho!
Sir Henry Morgan
The Morgans certainly come from hearty stock. Sir Henry Morgan, a great grandson of the original Morgans, made his fame and fortune on the high seas. He is considered one of the greatest scoundels in history. He roamed the Caribbean as a Privateer plundering Spanish ships and settlements with the approval of the Crown. The ever-shifting political climate between England and Spain made staying in the good graces of the King a difficult task. Henry was responsible for so many atrocities and brutal rampages that eventually the King could no longer tolerate his lawless behavior and Sir Henry found himself arrested and imprisoned. In the end he bribed his way out of trouble and became a wealthy plantation owner and Governor of Jamaica.
His exploits have become the stuff of legend. He was immortalized by John Steinbeck in his 1940 novel ‘Cup of Gold’, Rafael Sabatini’s novels ‘the Black Swan’ and ‘Captain Blood’ were adapted for films that made Errol Flynn and Tyrone Powers stars and launched an entire swashbuckler genre. Even Sci-Fi writer Isaac Asimov took a swing at the buccaneer in ‘Robots In Time’ when time travelers meet up with the Captain while searching for a fugitive robot. He is probably most well known today as the Captain Morgan that stands proudly on bottles of rum around the world.
During this semi-isolation we live in now I’ve managed to get to some long forgotten projects. A quarter of a century ago, in 1995, we went to Sherborne, England for our first Home Exchange. We were still in an analog universe without digital cameras, cellular phones, social media and the high speed Internet we know today. So our negatives and journals, after a cursory perusal, went the way of all vacation memories at the time, deep in a drawer. We have decided to rediscover what we did and how we felt about it. Come along.
1995
Wendi has been organizing our very first European Home Exchange for over a year at this point. We fly out on March 23rd for a 5 1/2 week trip to England. We’ll be spending our first 3 1/2 weeks in Sherborne, Dorset at the home of the Rouses, two teachers at the Sherborne Boys School, one of a few exclusive institutions that molds entitled little rich kids into the leaders of tomorrow. Then we’ll be off to London for two weeks in a small studio flat in Covent Gardens.
This is a real act of faith for us. Leaving our home and business for almost a month and a half feels very risky. Our clients are a bit shocked and not particularly happy, as most are corporate types that get two weeks off at the very most. We’re not sure if there will be business when we return. Time will tell.
At this point I should tell you a little about the exchange. We have discovered that our exchangers, Tony and Jan Rouse, share the same last name but are, in fact, not married or even together. They are just good friends. When we were picked up at Heathrow it was explained to us that we could stay at either Jan or Tony’s house, but that Tony’s house, the Firs, was larger and directly across the road from Sir Walter Raleigh’s Castle. Wow, a house with a name, next to a castle, that’s the one for us. It was only after we were dropped off that the fatal flaws in our decision became apparent. Tony lives all alone, he’s a bachelor and all that entails, beginning with a very unfortunate kitchen and two bathrooms in crisis. As for the view of the castle, actually it’s about as charming as a huge crumbling pile of rubble can be.
The Firs
I’ll feel better after a quick shower, but wait I can’t open my luggage. The name tag says Capt. Thompson. Who the hell is Capt. Thompson? I call British Airways, “Hello Mr. Peterson, we’ve been expecting your call. You apparently have Capt. Thompson’s bag. He’s on his way to Nairobi now, so we’re going to send a driver by your place to pick up the Captain’s bag and bring it here. We’ll try and get your bag out to you in a couple days. OK?” I pause as my jet lagged brain tries to think this through. “Mr. Peterson, you still there?” “Yes, but I’m afraid your plan won’t work for me. What I will do is exchange bags with you. Bring me my bag and you get the Captain’s bag.” After three solid minutes of dead air time she finally agreed. The driver arrives just after midnight, topping off the longest day of my life.
Sherborne Abbey
Sir John Horsey & Son
Christians have worshipped where the Abbey stands for over 1300 years. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539 his good buddy, Sir John Horsey, acquired Sherborne Abbey with plans to demolish it. The townspeople, only about 2000 strong, rallied together and heroically managed to raise what would be over $445,000 today to save the church.
Our new friends have organized a little tour of the Abbey. Their friend is the cathedral organist and has promised to show us around.The organist was so kind and hospitable. To the surprise and delight of people visiting the cathedral, he even belted out a little ditty for everyone’s enjoyment. He then took us up the secret stairway to the roof for a view of the town.
After the tour we headed over to the Digby Tab for a few Imperial pints of Strong Bitter. The organist arrived after a couple rounds. I stood up and announced to the assembled crowd that he has the largest and most beautiful organ I have ever seen. I’m certain that they are still teasing him and laughing about the dumb American.
Don, Edith, Cyril and the Organist at Sherborne Abbey
Stonehenge
When you could still walk up and touch these magical stones.
StonehengeStonehenge
Beer
A quaint little Cornish village perched on hillside overlooking the English Channel. We decided to stay here simply because it’s named Beer. Seemed like a no-brainer.
Beer, Cornwall
We stayed at the Colebrooke House. At breakfast we tried to chat with the owner and asked if he had grown up in Beer and what he did for a living before starting a B&B. He immediately dressed us down for being far too farmilar and explained that the English would never take such liberties with a stranger. As soon as he left the room the ladies at the next table came over, introduced themselves and told us the landlord was full of bullocks and just being an old grump.
A medieval fortification located on the island of Tintagel, the castle was built by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century.
It has been a tourist destination since the 1930s when visitors began coming to see the ruins of Richard’s castle. Tintagel Castle has long been associated with the legends of King Arthur.
Geoffrey of Monmouth created the Arthurian myths that are still popular today. In the 12th century he described Tintagel as the place of Arthur’s conception in his mythological account of British history. Geoffrey wrote that Arthur’s father, King Uther, was disguised by Merlin’s sorcery to look like the Duke of Cornwall, so he could sneak into the Duke’s bedroom and have his way with Igraine, Arthur’s mother. A sort of 12th century date rape.
We drove to Trevigue down a very narrow country lane after dark. The fog was so thick that we didn’t realize that just 15′ to our left was a 100′ cliff above the Irish Sea. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Trevigue has been a farm since before the Norman Conquest.
It’s Easter Sunday and we’re on the train to London for our last two weeks. We’ve rented a very small apartment in Covent Gardens from Mr. Almaz. Apparently it’s his son’s place and the old man puts him out whenever he can get a renter. It’s teeny but clean and the son has tons of movies. We haven’t turned on a TV in over a month.
Much to my surprise, this place is great. World War II is clearly England’s defining moment and this extraordinary museum gives you a real feel for the devastation and aftermath of the conflict. We even took a simulated bombing run over Berlin.
The Imperial War Museum, London
The Tower of London
It’s not really a tower, it’s a walled fortification that encloses a jail, an armory, a jewel house, chapel, royal houses and apartments. The Beefeater that served as our tour guide told us that in centuries past it was a very unpleasant place that the Royals would only come to when there was a threat of attack. The sewer system in particular was suspect. It was designed with the thought that the tidal river would wash the waste out to sea twice a day. Apparently it never worked and left the whole place smelling like an open septic tank. A lot is made of the famous beheadings that took place on the Tower Green, but apparently most executions took place outside the complex on Tower Hill so the bloodthirsty public could attend. Executions inside the complex were more solemn affairs not meant for immediate public consumption.
The Tower of LondonThe Jewel House, The Tower of LondonThe Queen’s Apartments, The Tower of LondonThe condemned entered the Tower through this passage.Anne Boleyn and countless others spent their final days in this very room.
Touring With Her Majesty
The Underground, LondonThe Train To LondonTintagel, CornwallWarwick CastleBuckingham Palace, LondonThe Tower Bridge, LondonParliament, LondonThe Underground, LondonBeer, CornwallA pastie at Lands End, CornwallAn Imperial Pint at the King’s Arms, LondonMy first real crumpet, SherborneThe Tower Bridge, London
People have been clamoring for the Wendi Files but rather then burden everyone with endless tales of blood-curdling debauchery, I thought we could start off slow and just let her never-ending wackiness unfurl at it’s own pace.
Happy In Haarlem, NL
The Singer-Laren Museum, NL
The National Museum of Modern Art – Edinburgh
Riddles Close – Edinburgh
Krollen-Muller, NL
Edinburgh
Charity Shop In Banchovy, Scotland
Cullen Bay, Scotland
The National Museum of Modern Art – Edinburgh
Enjoying the wildlife at Balmoral Castle
Edinburgh
With Barney In Edinburgh
Castle Fraser – The Top of the Tower
Castle Drum – Honey, we’re home.
Welcome To The Vintage Market At New College, Durham, U.K.
Buddying up to Victoria at Kelvingrove Museum, Glascow
Albatross Imitation At Kelvingrove Museum, Glascow
A Pub In Ballater
Balmoral Castle – She said, “You know we could rent a couple and race each other?”
New Friends in FoggieLoon, Scotland
Kirkcudbright
A Nap At Castle Drum
Wendi said she’d rest on the lawn at Castle Drum while I climbed the Tower. The groundskeeper came over and nudged her to make sure she hadn’t expired.
Most Americans are familiar with these magnificent horses from the incredibly sentimental ads that Budweiser uses to make us cry every Christmas and Super Bowl.
The friendly nature of these giant creatures is no accident. In the 1820s Scotsmen cross bred powerful Flemish stallions with local mares to create a workhorse that is powerful, even tempered and docile enough to work in close proximity with men. They were quickly put to use pulling boats and barges along the canals and rivers of Scotland.
It’s no wonder the shape-shifting Kelpies that live below the surface of these waterways chose the Clydesdale as the form they would take when they came ashore. These mythical creatures wait patiently on the banks for unsuspecting passersby who are drawn to their kind eyes and magnificent countenance. Innocent people would reach out and touch them, only to be trapped and pulled below to a watery grave.
By the end of the 20th century the canals and waterways around the once vibrant industrial Falkirk region were silted up, filled with refuge and unused.
At the beginning of the restoration project, named the Helix, sculptor Andy Scott was brought in to help. He imagined that Clydesdales would be the perfect image to bridge the divide between the areas industrial past and it’s mythological folklore. He chose the Clydesdales Duke and Baron as his models.
Duke is “Kelpie Head Down”
Baron is called “Kelpie Head Up”.
The Kelpies in Helix Park
Looking Up Inside Duke at Falkirk, Scotland
These amazing sculptures have completely revitalized the Falkirk area. The first year alone drawing a million tourists.
This is what the Kennedy Clan calls home. Not bad.
Motto: “Consider the End”
Culzean Castle
The Kennedy Clan dates back to at least the 1200s when Cunedda, the Grim-headed, was sent to southwest Scotland to defend the region from sea raids.
They have absolutely no connection to the American Kennedys.
Culzean Castle
Culzean Castle
Culzean Castle was constructed by order of the 10th Earl of Cassilis. The castle was designed by architect Robert Adam and was built in stages between 1777 and 1792. The building and large drum tower were built to take full advantage of it’s location overlooking the sea.
Culzean Castle
The Power Plant
For the interiors, symmetry was the order of the day. Only one of these doors is functional. The left hand one is just there to balance the other and goes nowhere. There are maids bells on each side of the fireplace. The right one works, the left one is a dummy. This concept is seen in every room of the house.
The Lion & The Mouse
I love this 17th century painting by Paul de Vos. It depicts the final scene in the classic fable by Aesop. In the oldest versions, a lion is woken from sleep by a tiny mouse. The mouse begs for the lion’s forgiveness explaining that such lowly prey couldn’t possibly bring the lion any honor. When the roaring lion is trapped by hunters, the mouse remembers its clemency and gnaws through the ropes to free the giant beast. The moral being that mercy brings its own reward and there is no being so small it cannot help a greater. This fable has been reinterpreted by many different cultures the world over, some coming to much different moral conclusions.
Paul de Vos
Sir Thomas Kennedy
Thomas Kennedy
Accorded to the guide, Sir Thomas Kennedy was considered a real piece of work. Rumor has it that in an attempt to forcibly procure land from a neighbor, he and his henchman strapped the poor man to a spit and slowly roasted him until he agreed to sell. The man recovered and the sale was revoked, but the chief men of Ayr agreed to slay Sir Thomas Kennedy the first opportunity they got. On May 11 1602 he was murdered just outside the town of Ayr.
Artistic License
Everything in these mansions is designed to impress, even commissioned paintings. These two fine paintings by Alexander Nasmyth are no exception. The first shows the island of Ailsa Craig in the misty distance just off shore. The island is considerably further south and impossible to see from the house. The second painting shows Culzean Castle from the sea, sitting on a bluff that is at least three times as high as the real thing. Impressive, yes, accurate, hardly.
Culzean Castle From The North With Ailsa Craig By Alexander Nasmyth
Culzean Castle From The Sea By Alexander Nasmyt
For A Job Well Done
Dwight Eisenhower
The Kennedy family retained ownership until 1945 when they gave the castle and its grounds to the National Trust for Scotland with one stipulation. The apartment at the top of the castle was to be given to General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower in recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War.
Ike first visited the castle in 1946 and stayed there four times, including once while President of the United States.
A Message For Our Times
“ If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They’ll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads. But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government.”
Motto: “Flourishing both in sunshine and in shade”
William de Irwyn was Robert the Bruce’s armour bearer and secretary. Close allies of the Bruce, the Irvines fought alongside him on many campaigns against the English. After one battle the Bruce fled with a few aides. Exhausted and riding hard, he took rest under a holly tree while William Irvine kept watch. This story was the origin of the Irvines of Drum Castles coat of arms with three sprigs of holly. William also fought alongside the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314 and for his continued loyal service the King granted him Castle Drum and all it’s grounds in 1325. The Irvines backed the losing side in both the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings, but despite this they bounced back and were able to develop Castle Drum further during the 1800s. It remained the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine for over 650 years until 1975 when the property was given to the Scottish Trust.
Castle Drum
The original 13th-century tower of Drum Castle is believed to be one of the three oldest, and notably unaltered, tower houses in Scotland.
It is said that the house is riddled with secret rooms. One was recently discovered behind the bookcase on the right.
The Archangel Gabriel by Hugh Irvine. Some say it was a self portrait.
The five lions on the mantle are each different. One for each child to hang a Christmas stocking.
These aren’t weird torture devices. They’re cheese presses.
The View From The Tower
Mary Irvine, Daughter of Alexander Irvine, the 16th Laird of Drum by Henry Raeburn
Mary Irvine
Mary Irvine managed the entire estate during the Jacobite uprisings and is considered to have been one of the best at it.
The Laird of Drum escaped capture after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and returned to Castle Drum where Mary hide him in a secret room for over three years, during which time English forces searched the property repeatedly.
By the early 1700’s virtually all the great oak trees that graced the estate had been chopped down for ship building and military needs. Mary replanted them all resulting in the oak forest we see today. She insisted, “they are not just trees, they are our future.”
Henry Quentin Forbes Irvine (1908–1975), 24th Laird of Drum
Henry Quentin Irvine, fought with the King’s African Rifles. Some ten years before his death, this popular 24th laird entered into an agreement with The National Trust for Scotland so that Drum and its 411 acres could be bequeathed to the trust and held for the benefit of the nation.
Covenanting Rebellion
Drum was attacked and sacked three times during the Covenanting Rebellion, probably one the most significant events in the history of the British Isles, with ramifications that still reverberate today.
On February 28, 1638 a large group gathered on the grounds of Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh to adopt a document that stood against “superstitious and papistical rites” and was an oath to maintain the reformed religion, i.e. Protestants vs. Catholics. This act would, over time, help bring about the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the English Civil War, the Scottish Civil War and the Irish Confederate Wars.
The Signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirkyard, by William Allan
