View from north west

Description View from north west

Date 18/6/2001

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

Catalogue Number E 15476 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 768816

Scope and Content Prince Albert's Cairn, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire, from the north-west This huge pyramid memorial, the most impressive cairn on the estate, was erected in 1862. The structure, built of local granite stones with an outer layer of coursed granite, was constructed on a 12.2m-wide base. The queen and six of her children placed stones bearing their initials on the foundations, and the structure was then built to a height of 10.7m, with the outer stones (unlike those of the other cairns) cemented together. The inscription on the north-west face of the memorial (right) reads: 'To the beloved memory of Albert, the Great and Good Prince Consort, erected by his broken-hearted widow, Victoria R, 21st August 1862'. Below is a plaque with four lines taken from the Wisdom of Solomon. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819-61) married Queen Victoria in 1840, and the very happy marriage that followed produced nine children over the next 18 years. Albert helped the queen with political duties, and became her principal trusted advisor in affairs of state. He took an active interest in the arts, science, trade and industry, and the project for which he is best remembered was the Great Exhibition of 1851 which was designed to stimulate the growth of British commerce. He was made Prince Consort in 1857. At Balmoral, he enjoyed indulging his passions for deer-stalking and social improvement. He initiated much new building, including the construction of new cottages for estate workers, new stables, new bridges, roads, plantations and a model dairy. He died of typhoid fever in 1861, aged 42, at Windsor Castle, a victim of the castle's medieval drains. The queen was heartbroken, and mourned Albert for the rest of her life. The Balmoral estate was bought in 1852 by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria at their own expense as a Highland retreat from the stresses of London life. Prince Albert initiated many improvements, including the building of a new holiday home, Balmoral Castle, in 1853-5, and much of the Balmoral estate owes its present appearance to Albert's activities. When he died in 1861, Queen Victoria erected a cairn to his memory on the summit of Creag Lurachain, a 438m-high hill overlooking the castle. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/686984