View from north east

Description View from north east

Date 18/6/2001

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

Catalogue Number SC 768815

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 15474 CN

Scope and Content Prince Albert's Cairn, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire, from the north-east This impressive pyramid memorial to Prince Albert was erected in 1882. The queen and six of her children placed local granite stones bearing their initials on the foundations of the 12.2m-wide base, and the structure was then built to a height of 10.7m. The outer layer is of coursed granite with the stones cemented together (unlike other cairn memorials on the estate where the outer stones are rough and uncemented). The inscription (right) records that it has been built by Albert's 'broken-hearted widow', and includes a plaque with four lines taken from the Wisdom of Solomon. Prince Albert (1819-61) was not only a devoted husband to Queen Victoria, but also 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, the profits from which helped to establish the Kensington museums complex in London. At Balmoral, he enjoyed deer stalking, that 'most interesting of pursuits', and became involved in the social improvement of the estate. He initiated the building of new houses for estate workers, introduced regular employment for other workers, and set up a 500-volume library in the castle to which everyone in the neighbourhood had access. He ordered the draining, trenching and improvement of waste land, the opening up of new roads, the building of new bridges across the River Dee and the construction of a model dairy. He died suddenly of typhoid fever in 1861, at the age of 42, at Windsor Castle. The queen was heartbroken and mourned him 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/768815

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap