Description

South Garden, laid out in 1876 as Outside Flower Garden, and redefined to W by Queen Mary, 1923-25, now known as Queen Mary's Garden.

South Garden: group of horticultural buildings to SE of castle of varying 19th century dates, originally comprising 1856, plant house and sheds; 1857, greenhouse; 1870-71, tool sheds. Late 19th century greenhouse.

Earlier greenhouse and sheds: decorative lean-to greenhouse backed to N by tall, gablet coped heated wall with mid and terminal dies. Greenhouse rectangular in plan with broad, canted entrance projection with polygonal roof and finial; stugged granite apron course; decorative cast-iron grilles; 2-leaf doors. Interior with tiered shelving and latticed apron. Lean-to granite sheds to N (rear), slate roofed with cast-iron rooflight, linked to later lean-to tool sheds, 1870-71, detailed similarly also with small-pane windows and boarded door, abacking lower, coped continuation of heated greenhouse wall. Glazed plant houses to S of these.

Later greenhouse: gabled greenhouse by gardener's cottage, pitch truncated to N by granite wall. Shuttered concrete base and decorative iron grilles. Ornate cast-iron brattishing and end finials.

Queen Mary's Garden: terraced garden, aligned with Castle, to W of South Garden. Circular fountain at centre, comprised of sunken basin with paved surround and waisted capstan covering spout at centre. Paved path to semicircular flight of steps to higher ground, accessed through 2-leaf, wrought-iron gates entwined with 'GR' and 'MR' monograms. Terraces rock-faced, semicircular to N terrace and straight to lower, S terrace. Trellised arbour to W entrance. Topiaried yew buttresses by steps to lower level.

Statement of Interest

The dates given in the Archives can possibly be linked to the buildings currently on the ground. The gardener's house (Tigh-na-Garaidh) is listed separately. The Gates were apparently made by the local blacksmith and erected by King George V in 1923. The capstan at the centre of the circular fountain is thought to have come from a harbour in Aberdeen. Feature of designed landscape and functional ancillary of major country house, also taking place of more traditional walled garden.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17777156

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)