View from east

Description View from east

Date 18/6/2001

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

Catalogue Number SC 769029

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 15279 CN

Scope and Content Eagle House, The Croft, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire This unusual little wooden building, designed as a house for eagles and other birds of prey, has a slated roof with projecting eaves, and a Victorian iron cresting running the length of the roof ridge. The walls, timbered to approximately one third of the height of the building, were left open, and presumably covered in wire mesh to contain the birds within. Access was by two doors in the east side. The house was designed to raise young birds of prey found injured or abandoned, one of many tasks associated with keepering. The wild, mountainous region around Balmoral, including the Lochnagar massif which dominates the whole area, is the stronghold of the golden eagle, Britain's largest and most elusive raptor. The birds nest on isolated crags up to 610m above sea level, and each pair requires a huge territory of about 3,000 acres for hunting. Their prey includes red grouse and ptarmigan as well as carrion such as deer and rabbits. Two eggs are usually laid, but only one eaglet normally survives. 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 a model estate with new houses and offices for estate workers and tenants. The Croft, a house built c.1855 for Queen Victoria's head keeper, had several purpose-built outbuildings including kennels and an eagle house. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/769029

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap