Detail of statue of dog at foot of stone stair (no.2 on plan), from West.

Description Detail of statue of dog at foot of stone stair (no.2 on plan), from West.

Date 1/4/1999

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number D 59522 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 757621

Scope and Content Statue of a dog on stone stair from west, Drummond Castle, Perth & Kinross This shows a marble dog sculpture 'guarding' one of the stone staircases which lead down to the formal parterre gardens from the castle. It probably dates from the early 19th century. A dog surmounts the Drummond family coat of arms, and traditionally symbolises loyalty and faithfulness. Although there were always gardens associated with the castle, it was not until the 1820s that the present saltire (Scottish flag)-shaped parterre was laid out. The design is constructed from paths bordered by brightly-coloured flowering shrubs and beds of flowers, which lead the eye to a variety of sculptures, fountains, temples and grottoes. Drummond Castle was built c.1490, but the complex of buildings visible today consist of a gatehouse which was added in 1630-6 by architect John Mylne III (1611-67) and an L-plan mansion built for the 4th Earl of Perth in 1689. The mansion was extended in the 18th or early 19th century, and remodelled in Baronial style into its present form by architect G T Ewing in 1878 and 1900. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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