View from south east of dairy, Balmoral Estates

Description View from south east of dairy, Balmoral Estates

Date 18/6/2001

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

Catalogue Number SC 768802

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 15442 CN

Scope and Content Dairy, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire, from the south-east This charming octagonal pavilion was built of the same light-coloured local granite used in the construction of the castle. It has a lower set of pointed-arch windows, and an upper rectangular set partially hidden by the castellated covered walkway that encircles the building. The slated roof is corbelled out, and a large domed ventilation shaft, topped by a weathervane, rises from the centre. The dairy is connected by a covered passage (left) to the dairy scullery. The dairy was built incorporating the most up-to-date hygienic and scientific principles. The interior was cool and airy, with tiles on the walls and floor, and stained glass in the upper windows to filter the light. The covered walkway around the building also helped to keep it cool and protect it from the heat of the sun. It was well-ventilated, and had a good water supply for cleaning, not only the vessels and utensils used, but also the floor, walls and ceiling. It was simply furnished, with a central table and cool flat surfaces to hold the milk dishes. The adjoining scullery, where the vessels and utensils were boiled or scoured with salt and very hot water, did not connect directly with the dairy so that none of the heat and steam upset the delicate separation of the cream from the milk. 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 put forward plans for new cottages for estate workers, new bridges, new stables and a model dairy. The dairy, probably designed by William Smith, the same architect who designed the castle, was begun after Albert's death in 1862, and completed in 1863. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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