The estate and its original castle were bought from theFarquharson family in 1852 byPrince Albert, the husband ofQueen Victoria. Soon afterwards, it was found that the house was too small, and the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned. The architect wasWilliam Smith of Aberdeen, and his designs were amended by Prince Albert. Balmoral remains the private property of the monarch and is not part of theCrown Estate. It was the summer residence ofQueen Elizabeth II, whodied there on 8 September 2022.[1]
Successive members of the royal family have added to the Balmoral Estate, and now it covers an area of 53,680 acres (21,725 ha) of land.[3] It is a working estate, includinggrouse moors, forestry and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer,Highland cattle, sheep and ponies.
Balmoral is pronounced/bælˈmɒrəl/ or sometimes locally/bəˈmɒrəl/.[4] It was first recorded as 'Bouchmorale' in 1451, and it was pronounced[baˈvɔrəl] by localScottish Gaelic speakers.[4] The first element in the name is thought to be the Gaelicboth, meaning "a hut", but the second part is uncertain.[5] Adam Watson and Elizabeth Allan wrote inThe Place Names of Upper Deeside that the second part meant "big spot (of ground)".[4]Alexander MacBain suggested this was originally thePictish*mor-ial, "big clearing" (cf.Welshmawr-ial).[6] Alternatively, the second part could be a saint's name.[7]
After 1830,Sir Robert Gordon made major alterations to the original castle.
KingRobert II of Scotland (1316–1390) had ahunting lodge in the area. Historical records also indicate that a house at Balmoral was built by Sir William Drummond in 1390.[8] The estate was later tenanted by Alexander Gordon, second son of the1st Earl of Huntly. Atower house was built on the estate by the Gordons.[9]
Sir Robert Gordon died in 1847, and his lease on Balmoral reverted to Lord Aberdeen. In February 1848, an arrangement was made for Prince Albert to acquire the remaining part of the lease on Balmoral, along with its furniture and staff, without having seen the property first.[13]: 5
The royal couple arrived for their first visit on 8 September 1848.[14] Victoria found the house "small but pretty",[15] and recorded in her diary that: "All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils".[10] The surrounding hilly landscape reminded them ofThuringia, Albert's homeland in Germany.[13]: 5
The house was soon deemed too small, and in 1848, John and William Smith were commissioned to design new offices, cottages, and other ancillary buildings.[16] Improvements to the woodlands, gardens and estate buildings were also being made, with the assistance of the landscape gardener James Beattie, and possibly the painterJames Giles.[9]
Major additions to the old house were considered in 1849,[16] but by then negotiations were underway to purchase the estate fromJames Duff, 4th Earl Fife. After seeing acorrugated iron cottage at theGreat Exhibition of 1851, Prince Albert ordered a prefabricated iron building for Balmoral from E. T. Bellhouse & Co., to serve as a temporary ballroom and dining room.[17] It was in use by 1 October 1851, and would serve as a ballroom until 1856.[18]
The sale was completed in June 1852, the price being £32,000 (equivalent to £4,400,000 in 2023) and Prince Albert formally took possession that autumn.[9][13]: 8 [19] The neighbouring estate ofBirkhall was also purchased at the same time, and the lease onAbergeldie Castle was secured accordingly. To mark the occasion, thePurchase Cairn was erected in the hills overlooking the castle, the first of many cairns on the estate.[20]
Space was needed for the growing family of Victoria and Albert, for additional staff, and for accommodation for visiting friends and official visitors such as cabinet members. Thus, extension of the existing structure would not provide enough space, and a larger house needed to be built. In early 1852, this was commissioned fromWilliam Smith.[19] The son of John Smith (who designed the 1830 alterations of the original castle), William Smith, was the city architect ofAberdeen from 1852. On learning of the commission,William Burn sought an interview with the prince, apparently to complain that Smith previously had plagiarised his work; however, Burn was unsuccessful in depriving Smith of the appointment.[21] William Smith's designs were amended by Prince Albert, who took a close interest in details such as turrets and windows.[22]
Balmoral Castle, painted by Queen Victoria in 1854 during its construction
Construction began in mid-1853, on a site some 100 yards (90 metres) northwest of the original building that was considered to have a better vista.[23] Another consideration was that during construction, the family would still be able to use the old house.[13]: 9 Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 28 September 1853, during her annual autumn visit.[24] By the autumn of 1855, the royal apartments were ready for occupancy, although the tower was still under construction and the servants had to be lodged in the old house.[18] By coincidence, shortly after they arrived at the estate that autumn, news circulated about the fall ofSevastopol, ending theCrimean War, resulting in wild celebrations by royalty and locals alike. While visiting the estate soon afterwards, PrinceFrederick of Prussia asked for the hand ofVictoria, Princess Royal.[13]: 11
The new house was completed in 1856, and the old castle was later demolished.[9] By autumn 1857, a new bridge across the Dee, designed byIsambard Kingdom Brunel linking Crathie and Balmoral was finished.[13]: 11
Balmoral Castle is built fromgranite quarried at Invergelder on the estate.[25] It consists of two main blocks, each arranged around a courtyard. The southwestern block contains the main rooms, while the northeastern contains the service wings. At the southeast is an 80-foot-tall (24-metre) clock tower topped with turrets,[26] one of which has a balustrade similar to a feature atCastle Fraser.[27] Being similar in style to the demolished castle of the 1830s, the architecture of the new house is considered to be somewhat dated for its time when contrasted with the richer forms ofScots baronial being developed by William Burn and others during the 1850s.[26] As an exercise in Scots baronial, it is sometimes described as too ordered, pedantic, and evenGermanic as a consequence of Prince Albert's influence on the design.[27]
However, the purchase of a Scottish estate by Victoria and Albert and their adoption of a Scottish architectural style were influential for the ongoing revival ofHighland culture. They decorated Balmoral with tartans and attendedhighland games at Braemar. Queen Victoria expressed an affinity for Scotland, even professing herself to be aJacobite.[28] Added to the work ofSir Walter Scott, this became a major factor in promoting the adoption ofHighland culture byLowland Scots. HistorianMichael Lynch comments that "the Scottishness of Balmoral helped to give the monarchy a truly British dimension for the first time".[29]
Even before the completion of the new house, the pattern of the life of the royal couple in the Highlands was soon established. Victoria took long walks of up to four hours daily, and Albert spent many days hunting deer and game. In 1849, diaristCharles Greville described their life at Balmoral as resembling that of the gentry rather than royalty.[30] Victoria began a policy of commissioning artists to record Balmoral, its surroundings, and its staff. Over the years, numerous painters were employed at Balmoral, includingEdwin andCharles Landseer, andCarl Haag.[citation needed]
During the 1850s, new plantations were established near the house and exoticconifers were planted on the grounds. Prince Albert had an active role in these improvements, overseeing the design ofparterres, the diversion of the main road north of the river via a new bridge, and plans for farm buildings.[9] These buildings included amodel dairy that he developed in 1861, the year of his death. Victoria completed the dairy. Subsequently, she also built several monuments to her husband on the estate. These include a pyramid-shapedcairn built a year after Albert's death, on top ofCraig Lurachain. A large statue of Albert with a dog and a gun byWilliam Theed, was inaugurated on 15 October 1867, the twenty-eighth anniversary of their engagement.[13]: 20–21 [31]
Following Albert's death, Victoria spent increasingly longer periods at Balmoral, staying for as long as four months a year during the early summer and autumn.[clarification needed] She placed numerous mementoes of Albert on display.[32]
Few further changes were made to the grounds, except for some alterations to mountain paths, the erection of various cairns and monuments, and the addition of some cottages (Karim Cottage andBaile na Coille) built for senior staff.[9][13]: 18 It was during this period that Victoria began to depend on her servant,John Brown. He was a localghillie from Crathie, who became one of her closest companions during her long mourning.[13]: 23
In 1887, Balmoral Castle was the birthplace ofVictoria Eugenie, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was born to PrincessBeatrice, the fifth daughter of Victoria and Albert. Victoria Eugenie became queen of Spain when she married KingAlfonso XIII in 1906.[33]
In September 1896, Victoria welcomed EmperorNicholas II of Russia and EmpressAlexandra, a granddaughter of Victoria, to Balmoral. Four years later, Victoria made her last visit to the estate, three months before her death on 22 January 1901.[34]
After Victoria's death, the royal family continued to use Balmoral during annual autumn visits.George V had substantial improvements made during the 1910s and 1920s, including formal gardens to the south of the castle.[9]
During theSecond World War, royal visits to Balmoral ceased. In addition, due to the conflict with Germany,Danzig Shiel, a lodge built by Victoria in Ballochbuie, was renamedGarbh Allt Shiel and the "King of Prussia's Fountain" was removed from the grounds.[13]: 25
In the 1950s,Prince Philip added herbaceous borders and a water garden. During the 1980s, new staff buildings were built close to the castle.[9]
QueenElizabeth II had been at the castle since July 2022 for her annual summer holiday and had been receiving medical care there.[35] In a break with tradition, Balmoral Castle, rather thanBuckingham Palace, was the location of the appointment ofBritish Prime MinisterLiz Truss on 6 September 2022, due to concerns regarding the Queen's mobility issues.[36][37][38]Elizabeth died at Balmoral two days later at the age of 96. She was the first monarch to die at Balmoral, and this was the first time a monarch had died in Scotland sinceJames V died in 1542 atFalkland Palace.[39] The Queen's coffin lay in repose in the ballroom of the castle for three days, to allow the Royal Family, estate staff and neighbours to pay their respects. On 11 September, the coffin was transported to thePalace of Holyroodhouse inEdinburgh for the start of the state funeral proceedings.[40][41]
The "battlemented"porte cochère. Also called a "carriage porch", this structure is covered to protect people arriving and departing from inclement weather.
Though called a castle, Balmoral's primary function is that of a country house.[42] It is a "typical and rather ordinary" country house from the Victorian period. The tower and "pepper pot turrets" are characteristic features of the residence's Scottish baronial style. The seven-storey tower is an architectural feature borrowed from medieval defensivetower houses. The "pepper pot" turrets were influenced by the style of 16th-century Frenchchâteaux. Other features of the Scottish baronial style are thecrow-stepped gables,dormer windows, andbattlementedporte-cochère.[43]
Balmoral is private property and, unlike the monarch'sofficial residences, is not the property ofthe Crown. It was originally purchased privately by Prince Albert, for Queen Victoria, meaning that no revenues from the estate go to Parliament or the public purse, as would otherwise be the case for property owned outright by the monarch by theCivil List Act 1760.[44] Along withSandringham House in Norfolk, ownership of Balmoral was inherited byEdward VIII on his accession in 1936. When heabdicated later the same year, however, he retained ownership of them. A financial settlement was devised, under which Balmoral and Sandringham were purchased by Edward's brother and successor to the Crown,George VI.[45]
Elizabeth II inherited the Balmoral estate from her father, and then after her death, ownership passed to her eldest sonKing Charles III, but the estate is managed by trustees under Deeds of Nomination and Appointment.[44]
Balmoral Estate is within theCairngorms National Park and is partly within theDeeside andLochnagarNational Scenic Area.[46] The 50,000-acre (20,000-hectare) estate contains a wide variety of landscapes, from theDee river valley to open mountains. There are sevenMunros (hills in Scotland over 3,000 ft or 914.4 m) within the estate, the highest being Lochnagar at 3,789 ft (1,155 m). This mountain was the setting for a children's story,The Old Man of Lochnagar, told originally byCharles III to his younger brothers,Andrew andEdward. The story was published in 1980, with royalties accruing tothe Prince's Trust (now the King's Trust).[13]: 35–51 [47] The estate also incorporates the 7,500-acre (3,000-hectare)Delnadamph Lodge estate, bought byElizabeth II in 1978.[48]
The estate extends toLoch Muick in the southeast, where an old boat house and the RoyalBothy (hunting lodge), now namedGlas-allt-Shiel, built by Victoria, are located.[49]
The working estate includesgrouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer,Highland cattle, and ponies.[13]: 38–47 It also offers access to the public for fishing (paid) and hiking during certain seasons.[13]: 36–37
Approximately 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) of the estate are covered by trees, with almost 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) used for forestry that yields nearly 10,000 tonnes of wood per year.Ballochbuie Forest, one of the largest remaining areas of old Caledonian pine growth in Scotland, consists of approximately 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares). It is managed with only minimal or no intervention.[13]: 48, 51 The principal mammal on the estate is thered deer with a population of 2,000 to 2,500 head.[13]: 44
The royal family employs approximately 50 full-time and 50–100 part-time staff to maintain the working estate.[53]
There are approximately 150 buildings on the estate,[13]: 35 includingBirkhall, formerly home toQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, whereKing Charles III andQueen Camilla spent their honeymoon in 2005.[54] Craigowan Lodge is regularly used by the family and friends of the royal family and has also been used while Balmoral Castle was being prepared for a royal visit.[55] Six smaller buildings on the estate are let asholiday cottages.[56] The hunting lodge ofInchnabobart has also been used by the royal family.[57][58]
In 1931, the gardens and castle grounds were opened to the public for the first time. They are now open daily between April and the end of July, after which royal family members arrive at the castle for their annual stay.[55] The ballroom was the only room in the castle that could be viewed by the public until 2024.[59]
In 2024, limited numbers of the public were able to view the interior and several rooms used by members of the royal family during a month-long summer tour programme.[60] This was the first time since the castle was completed in 1855 that it was open to the public.[61][62] In addition, the gift shop, restaurant and café were redesigned and renovated, prioritising local Scottish craftsmanship and premium textiles.[63]
Craigowan Lodge is a seven-bedroom[64] stone house approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the main castle in Balmoral.[65] More rustic than the castle, the lodge was often used by Prince Charles andDiana, Princess of Wales when they visited. In May 1981, Charles and Diana posed for a photo at the lodge before theirJuly 1981 wedding.[66]
The lodge has been in the news periodically since 2005 because Elizabeth II and Prince Philip often spent the first few days of their summer holiday there.[64] During the summer, the castle is a lucrative source of income from tourists. Sometimes, the Queen arrived at Balmoral before the tourist season was over.[55]
Tam-Na-Ghar is a three-bedroom cottage on the Balmoral estate.[68] The property was passed down from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother toPrince William.[68] The cottage is built in the traditional style of Scottish lodges and has been used by William and his wifeCatherine since before their marriage and in the years after alongside their children as a retreat when visiting Scotland.[68][69] It is close to Birkhall, which King Charles III and Queen Camilla use.[69]
^abGlendinning, Miles; MacKechnie, Aonghus; MacInnes, Ranald (1996).A History of Scottish Architecture. Edinburgh University Press. p. 270.ISBN0-7486-0849-4.
^abFenwick, Hubert (1974).Scotland's Historic Buildings. Robert Hale.ISBN0-7091-4497-0.
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