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View from east Digital image of E 15241 cn
SC 769202
Description View from east Digital image of E 15241 cn
Date 18/6/2001
Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu
Catalogue Number SC 769202
Category On-line Digital Images
Copy of E 15241 CN
Scope and Content Shell Fountain in Sunken Garden, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire This charming granite drinking fountain sits in the west wall of the rectangular sunken garden designed c.1856 by Prince Albert within the west lawn of the castle. The fountain, intended to be both practical and ornamental, is surmounted by a large scalloped granite shell, and provides, through a lead pipe fed from a source of drinking water, a supply of fresh water held in a little shell-shaped granite basin. The sunken garden was laid out below the west wing of the castle as an ornamental feature visible from the windows of the rooms above. It was arranged formally as a parterre, a lawn with flowerbeds cut in strict geometrical patterns and planted with brightly coloured flowering plants, and functioned almost as an outdoor room. The flowers were raised in a range of Victorian glasshouses, and planted out to give a display of colour in the autumn when the royal family was in residence. Its maintenance required a large staff of gardeners and labourers, who worked under the strict supervision of the head gardener, William Paterson. 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. He also supervised the laying out of the grounds, including the construction of a sunken garden and formal gardens to the east and west of the castle. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/769202
File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap
Attribution: © Crown Copyright: HES.
Licence Type: Internally Generated
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