Drumlanrig Castle

Drumlanrig Castle entrance front

Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The category A listed castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry.[1]

Drumlanrig Castle

Construction

The 'Pink Palace' of Drumlanrig,[2] constructed between 1679 and 1689 from distinctive pink sandstone,[3] is an example of late 17th century Renaissance architecture. The first Duke of Queensberry, William Douglas, had the castle built on the site of an ancient Douglas stronghold overlooking Nith Valley.[4] The castle has 120 rooms, 17 turrets and 4 towers.[5]

Art collection

The castle is home to part of the Buccleuch art collection which includes Rembrandt’s An Old Woman Reading,[5] and Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder which was stolen in 2003 and returned in 2007 after being found in Glasgow[6] and many other paintings, tapestries and objects of art.

The stableyard houses the Stableyard Studios and cafe.[7]

Etymology

The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1384, spelled Drumlangryg. There are a number of possible etymologies for the name. It may represent Cumbric drum 'ridge' + -lanerc 'small area of cleared woodland'. However, the first element may also be Gaelic druim 'ridge', either added to a Cumbric name or to Scots *lang-rigg 'long ridge'.[8]

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ "Listed Building Report". Hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk. 1971-08-03. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  2. ↑ WILLIAM TINNING and ALISON CHIESA (2003-08-28). "Tax break for the Pink Palace raiders Low security of viewing scheme that avoids inheritance duty". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  3. ↑ Rose, Kenneth (2001-12-24). "Princess Alice: no Victorian, but eminent none the less". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  4. ↑ "The Castle". Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Duke of Buccleuch". London: Telegraph. 2007-09-05. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  6. ↑ "UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Trial date for da Vinci accused". BBC News. 2009-10-19. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  7. ↑ http://www.drumlanrig.com/visit-drumlanrig-castle
  8. ↑ James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-name Evidence. Volume 2: Guide to the Elements. p. 152. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.

External links

Coordinates: 55°16′26″N 3°48′32″W / 55.27389°N 3.80889°W