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Early July - wild roses in the sand dunes ...... |
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A dog called Flash ....... |
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Coastal wild flowers ...... |
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Beautiful clouds ........ |
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Late July - beside a pond ...... |
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One of my favourites - honey perfumed Common Ragwort grows happily by the water's edge. |
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Crichton Castle stands on a grassy hillside overlooking the River Tyne The original castle dates from the late 1300s,when John de Crichton built his tower house. |
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Down in the valley a line of trees conceals the river. |
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The building went through many changes during its 200 years as a family residence, only to be abandoned in the late 1600s, a short time after the final remodelling was completed. |
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Information board image - above. In mid 1400s the castle was further enlarged by John's son William,a powerful figure of the time. He was Master of the King's Household,Sheriff of Edinburgh and Keeper of Edinburgh Castle. A great hall and guest accommodation were built around a central courtyard. The tall building on right is the original tower house. At 12 miles from Edinburgh city centre it would have been an easy commute on horseback. |
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Remains of the tower house Solar panels on the roof provide electricity for minimal modern day requirements. |
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William de Crichton's great hall around 1450 (information board illustration). |
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In 1562 the young Mary Queen of Scots attended the wedding here, of her half brother Lord John Stewart and Janet Hepburn and it was their son Francis who would make the final changes in the castle's design. |
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Remains of the medieval stone fireplace in the great hall. |
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Francis Stewart was a highly educated and well travelled young man. He had studied at the universities of St Andrews,Paris and Rouen and travelled extensively on the Continent. He added the most striking architectural features of the castle, almost certainly influenced by Renaissance palaces he had seen in Italy. When work began he was still only in his early 20s. |
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The castle courtyard around 1590 (information board illustration). The north part of the building (right) was completely rebuilt creating a new lord's hall and luxurious living rooms on three floors. |
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The diamond faceted stonework, unique in Scotland,is what makes this castle special. In 1586 Mary's son the young King James VI visited, possibly to see the work in progress. |
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James VI in 1586 aged 20. Francis was involved in a number of nefarious deeds including murder. He was said to be a student of "the dark arts", and in 1591 was accused of trying to kill the king by witchcraft. He was temporarily pardoned but four years later a verdict of treason was passed and aged 33, he was forced into exile in Italy. He died in Naples in poverty, again accused of sorcery. His abandoned castle fell into decline and eventually became a source of building materials for the area. |
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Looking through the lord's hall to the medieval church founded by William de Crichton in 1449. |
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On the south side, the remains of William de Crichton's medieval castle. The great hall is on the first floor. |
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The 1580s purpose built stable block with rooms above on two levels. |
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Stable interior |
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Today a warm wind blows - and wild nature adorns the hillside. |
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Wild roses and bracken. |
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Brambles |
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Crowfoot Trefoil and Germander Speedwell |
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One windy day last week a friend and I set out to visit the ruined medieval castle at Crichton a few miles south of Edinburgh. On the way we stopped off to look at Borthwick Castle and happened on this part 19th century, part medieval church which had originally been built as the private place of worship for the Borthwick family. |
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The church was burnt down in 1755 and not rebuilt until 1864. |
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Grave stones date from medieval times to the present day. Many different types of conifer appear to have been planted over the years, some possibly from the time of rebuilding. |
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This part at the rear of the church looks original medieval. |
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Despite its medieval and Victorian origins there is an intense sense of being in the 1700s..... and an incredible feeling of peace everywhere. |
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15th century carvings incorporated in the new building. Top left is the cross of the Templar Knights. Their past presence features strongly in the area and up the east coast of Scotland. |
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Adjacent Borthwick Castle, owned by the same family since 1430, is now a private luxury hotel. You can view the splendid interiors ..... HERE |
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Next post..........we finally reach ruined Castle Crichton. |
