While staying in Stonehaven, Scotland, we visited Drum Castle in Aberdeenshire. This castle is a combination of a medieval tower, a Jacobean mansion house and a Victorian extension. For seven centuries it was home to twenty-four generations of one family, the Irvines.

While waiting for the castle to open, we explored some of the gardens and I enjoyed experimenting with taking photos of flowers in the morning sunlight.





Drum is named from the Gaelic Drom or Druim, meaning a ridge or knoll. The tower, on the east, is the oldest part of this castle and is believed to have been built in the mid to late 1200s, perhaps as a stronghold for Alexander III who died in 1286. King Robert the Bruce brought the Irvine family to Drum. The king appointed William de Irwyn as one of his representatives in the Royal Forest of Drum, an extensive hunting reserve where kings of Scotland hunted deer and wild boar.

View of the castle from the west. The Jacobean portion is to the right.

 In 1323 William de Irwyn was granted the charter of the Barony of Drum giving him power ‘of pit and gallows’ to drown or hang local wrongdoers. Also the Tower of Drum was given to him.

 A few years later a feud arose between the Irwyns/Irvines and their neighbors, the Keiths, hereditary Marshals of Scotland. The legend says that the Keiths burned one of the Irvine children to death in the fields. The Irvines took revenge by burning down Halforest Castle, stronghold of the Keiths. Later, a battle took place at Keiths’ Muir, near the River Dee, and several Keiths drowned at a place called Keiths’ Pot.

The Tower, the oldest part of Drum

Part of the 19th century addition designed by David Bryce. This runs behind the original 17th century Jacobean Wing to provide corridors, privacy, and easier movement through the house. It also created an entrance hall at courtyard level.

The courtyard

The eighteenth laird, Alexander, is said to have been Master of Drum for eighty-three years, and lived to be 91. His son, Hugh Irvine, painted the Archangel Gabriel painting which hangs in the library. It is supposedly a self-portrait. Click here to see a pic of the library and painting.


 The Irvine coat-of-arms with holly leaves, savage supporters wreathed round the head and loins with holly and carrying clubs.

The above Victorian archway faces the north drive and adjoins the former 16th century brewhouse. This building also contained the laundry and woman house (a traditional Scottish service room where household linen was spun and woven by women.) Two Buchan cheese presses stand in front of what was once the dairy (left in the above photo.)

The beautiful double entrance doors.

I hope you enjoyed this visit to part of Drum Castle. Next time we'll tour the Tower, one of my favorite parts!
Thanks!
Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com