Traquair House was the home of the Stuart family from 1491 until 1875. As Catholics and Jacobites, they supported the causes of the Jacobite Rebellions of the 18th Century and more. The house remained in the same family ownership and today is the home of the 21st Laird of Traquair, Catherine Maxwell Stuart. We were lucky to be shown around Traquair House in an exclusive tour and saw why it is known as one of the most stunning of the historic houses in the Scottish Borders.
Visiting Traquair
Scotland's Oldest Inhabited House was well worth a visit when we were there in September. One of our guests had been there before, but for the rest of us this was a wonderful new place to explore. We were welcomed by the Laird and given many personal stories about growing up in the house as a child. Her father, the 20th Laird of Traquair, had rediscovered the brewery in the basement of the house and we all enjoyed tasting the Traquair Ale in a stunning lounge, after our tour.
We enjoyed the museum room where an amazing array of original archives from the 14th, 15th and 16th century were on display. To see the handwritten notes and signature of Mary Queen of Scots was a spine tingling moment. Mary had stayed there with her husband Lord Darnely, and her new baby. We saw the cot where the baby, later to be James VI of Scotland, had slept on his visit. Mary was reported to have been pregnant on the night of her visit and she mentioned this during dinner.
Whether on a regular guided tour, or on a similar exclusive private tour of the House, we know our future guests would love to include this in their tour of the Scottish Borders. We will be back.
Thirlestane Castle Historic Home
One of the oldest and finest inhabited castles in the Borders which played a key role in Scottish history, Thirlestane Castle is now home to the Maitland family. Sir Richard Maitland, whose forebears arrived from France around 1066, is said to have repelled English invaders from his home in about 1250. It is impossible to think of this happening around 800 years ago.
His descendants continued to serve Scotland's monarchs with distinction over the centuries. In the 16th century it was essentially a fortified building with the four large towers we see today. The castle was further developed by the Duke of Lauderdale into a palace and designed by Sir William Bruce, one of the first Scottish architects.
By the late 19th century the building had developed into the magnificent centrepiece of a country estate and new wings were built to match the original keep. The 9th Earl engaged Edinburgh architects and introduced all the comforts of the Victorian age. During both World wars Thirlestane Castle played its part, first as a military hospital and then a country home to girls from an Edinburgh School.
Our guided tour was a wonderful chance to hear the stories of the different generations of this family. We heard of the Earl who was an award winning photographer - and saw his vast collection of cameras. We also admired the amazing ceilings throughout.
Following a recent fire, the drawing room has been completely redecorated and the magnificent ceilings repaired and gilted to shine once more. The stunning eagles on the ceiling drew gasps from our small group while the recipe for the plaster of water, lime and horsehair had us all staring in wonder at what had been created.
Thirlestane Castle Country House dining room
One of the most spectacular rooms we visited was the dining room, or the portrait room, of this amazing country house. Uniquely this rooms holds a portrait of all the generations of Maitlands over the centuries and was breathtaking. We heard that this room can be booked for private dinners or small weddings which would be amazing.
Historic Homes in the Scottish Borders
These are only two of the 11 big houses in the Scottish Borders. We already offer tours to include Abbotsford House and Floors Castle. We plan to further explore the other major country houses and learn the stories of their owners over the last 800 years.
