View from north west Digital image of E 15430 cn

Description View from north west Digital image of E 15430 cn

Date 18/6/2001

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

Catalogue Number SC 769254

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 15430 CN

Scope and Content The Croft, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire This two-storeyed, picturesque cottage orné is constructed from the same light-coloured local granite as the castle. It has deeply projecting eaves with bargeboards and decorative pendants, and Tudor-style mullioned windows. The dormer window has a swept roof, and a hood-moulded string-course runs at first-floor level. The entrance porch, also with decorative bargeboards, has a pointed-arch doorway, and a double door painted in 'Balmoral beige', a colour chosen by Prince Albert. This rather substantial cottage reflects the important position of head keeper in the hierarchy of staff employed on the estate. The job probably ranked only second to that of estate factor, and its main functions were to organise shooting and stalking on the estate, arrange the shooting parties for the royal family and their guests, and to lead Victoria and Albert on hunting expeditions and adventurous treks into remote mountainous areas. Stalking was Albert's passion, and he hunted every day when staying at the castle. The head keeper was John Grant, a married man with five sons, who had been employed at Balmoral when the estate was bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852. Grant, like many of the Balmoral staff, continued in a loyal and devoted service with the royal family until his retirement. When he died, he was buried in Crathie Churchyard where Queen Victoria erected a handsome headstone to his memory. 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, probably designed by William Smith, the architect who designed the castle, was built c.1855 for Queen Victoria's head keeper. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/769254

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap