Editing Balmoral Castle (section)

==History==
[[File:Robert Gordon Litho.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|left|After 1830, [[Robert Gordon (diplomat)|Sir Robert Gordon]] made major alterations to the original castle.]]

King [[Robert II of Scotland|Robert II]] of Scotland (1316–1390) had a [[Hunting lodge (U.K.)|hunting lodge]] in the area. Historical records also indicate that a house at Balmoral was built by Sir William Drummond in 1390.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whichcastle.com/aberdeenshire/balmoralcastle.htm |title=Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire |publisher=www.whichcastle.com |access-date=4 December 2010}}</ref> The estate was later tenanted by Alexander Gordon, second son of the [[Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly|1st Earl of Huntly]]. A [[tower houses in Britain and Ireland|tower house]] was built on the estate by the Gordons.<ref name=garden>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=GDL00045 |desc=Balmoral Castle |access-date=6 March 2019 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

In 1662, the estate passed to Charles Farquharson of [[Inverey]], brother of [[John Farquharson, 3rd of Inverey|John Farquharson]], the "Black Colonel". The Farquharsons were [[jacobitism|Jacobite]] sympathisers and James Farquharson of Balmoral was involved in both the 1715 and 1745 [[Jacobite risings]]. He was wounded at the [[Battle of Falkirk (1746)]]. The Farquharson estates were [[Forfeiture (law)|forfeited]], and passed to the Farquharsons of [[Braemar|Auchendryne]].<ref name=gordon>{{cite book |author=Gordon, Seton |author-link=Seton Gordon |title=Seton Gordon's Cairngorms: an anthology |publisher=Whittles |year=2009 |chapter=The Country of Balmoral |pages=141–142 |isbn=978-1-904445-88-3}}</ref> In 1798, [[James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife]], acquired Balmoral and leased the castle. [[Robert Gordon (diplomat)|Sir Robert Gordon]], a younger brother of [[George Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen]], acquired the lease in 1830. He made major alterations to the original castle at Balmoral, including baronial-style extensions that were designed by [[John Smith (architect)|John Smith]] of Aberdeen.<ref name=garden/>

===Royal acquisition===
[[File:Balmoral Castle by George Washington Wilson.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Balmoral Castle, 1860s, albumen print [[carte de visite]]]]

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first visited Scotland in 1842, five years after she acceded to the throne and two years after their marriage. During this first visit they stayed at [[Edinburgh]], and at [[Taymouth Castle]] in Perthshire, the home of [[John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane]].<ref name=garden/> They returned in 1844 to stay at [[Blair Castle]], and in 1847, when they rented [[Ardverikie House]] by [[Loch Laggan]].<ref>Millar, pp. 23, 31</ref> Frequent rain during the last trip led [[James Clark (physician)|Sir James Clark]], the queen's doctor, to recommend [[River Dee, Aberdeenshire|Deeside]] instead, for its healthier climate.<ref>Millar, p. 39</ref>

Sir Robert Gordon died in 1847 and his lease on Balmoral reverted to Lord Aberdeen. In February 1848 an arrangement was made that Prince Albert would acquire the remaining part of the lease on Balmoral, together with its furniture and staff, without having seen the property first.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|5}}

The royal couple arrived for their first visit on 8 September 1848.<ref>Millar, pp. 40–41</ref> Victoria found the house "small but pretty",<ref>Millar, p. 41</ref> and recorded in her diary that: "All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils".<ref name=gordon/> The surrounding hilly landscape reminded them of [[Thuringia]], Albert's homeland in Germany.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|5}}

The house was soon confirmed to be too small, and in 1848, John and William Smith were commissioned to design new offices, cottages, and other ancillary buildings.<ref name=millar55/> Improvements to the woodlands, gardens and estate buildings were also being made, with the assistance of the landscape gardener James Beattie, and possibly the painter [[James Giles (painter)|James Giles]].<ref name=garden/>

Major additions to the old house were considered in 1849,<ref name=millar55>Millar, p. 55</ref> but by then negotiations were under way to purchase the estate from [[James Duff, 4th Earl Fife]]. After seeing a [[corrugated iron]] cottage at the [[Great 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.uwo.ca/faculty/bellhouse/chapter4.pdf |title=E.T. Bellhouse and Co. Engineers and Iron Founders |work=David Bellhouse and Sons, Manchester |author=Bellhouse, David |year=2000 |access-date=23 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615114839/http://www.stats.uwo.ca/faculty/bellhouse/chapter4.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was in use by 1 October 1851, and would serve as a ballroom until 1856.<ref name="Millar, p.59">Millar, p. 59</ref>

The sale was completed in June 1852, the price being £32,000 ({{Inflation|UK|32000|1852|r=-5|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) and Prince Albert formally took possession that autumn.<ref name=garden/><ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|8}}<ref name=millar56>Millar, p. 56</ref> The neighbouring estate of [[Birkhall]] was bought at the same time, and the lease on [[Abergeldie Castle]] secured as well. To mark the occasion, the ''[[Balmoral cairns|Purchase Cairn]]'' was erected in the hills overlooking the castle, the first of many cairns on the estate.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/crieff-dykers-build-jubilee-cairn-2728408|title=Crieff dykers build Jubilee cairn for the Queen|newspaper=Daily Record|date=24 August 2012|access-date=7 October 2014}}</ref>

===Construction of the new house===
[[File:Balmoral Castle - Project Gutenberg 13103.jpg|thumb|''Balmoral Castle'' – a principal [[keep]] similar to that of [[Craigievar Castle]] is the central feature of the castle, while a large [[Turret (architecture)|turret]]ed [[Scottish estate houses|country house]] is attached.]]

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 from [[William Smith (architect)|William Smith]].<ref name=millar56/> The son of John Smith (who designed the 1830 alterations of the original castle), William Smith, was the city architect of [[Aberdeen]] 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=201859 |title=William Smith II |work=Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1840–1980 |access-date=23 January 2012}}</ref> William Smith's designs were amended by Prince Albert, who took a close interest in details such as turrets and windows.<ref>Millar, p. 57</ref>

[[File:Queen Victoria, sketch of new Balmoral Castle, 1852 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|''Balmoral Castle'', painted by Queen Victoria in 1854 during its construction]]
Construction began in mid-1853, on a site some {{convert|100|yd|m|-1|abbr=off}} northwest of the original building that was considered to have a better vista.<ref>Millar, pp. 56–57</ref> Another consideration was that during construction the family would still be able to use the old house.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|9}} Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 28 September 1853, during her annual autumn visit.<ref>Millar, p. 58</ref> 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.<ref name="Millar, p.59"/> By coincidence, shortly after their arrival at the estate that autumn, news circulated about the fall of [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55)|Sevastopol]], ending the [[Crimean War]], resulting in wild celebrations by royalty and locals alike. While visiting the estate soon afterwards, Prince [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick of Prussia]] asked for the hand of [[Victoria, Princess Royal]].<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|11}}

[[File:James Cassie (1819 - 1879) - Balmoral Castle - ABDAG002302 - Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery and Museums Collection).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|''Balmoral Castle'', painted by [[James Cassie]]]]
The new house was completed in 1856, and the old castle was later demolished.<ref name=garden/> By autumn 1857, a new bridge across the Dee, designed by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] linking Crathie and Balmoral was finished.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|11}}

Balmoral Castle is built from [[granite]] quarried at Invergelder on the estate.<ref>{{cite book |title=Scotland's Gardens |author=Little, G. A. |publisher=Spur Books |year=1981 |isbn=0-7157-2091-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scotlandsgardens00litt }}</ref> 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 {{convert|80|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=mid|-tall}} clock tower topped with turrets,<ref name=glendinning/> one of which has a balustrade similar to a feature at [[Castle Fraser]].<ref name=fenwick>{{cite book |author=Fenwick, Hubert |title=Scotland's Historic Buildings |isbn=0-7091-4497-0 |publisher=Robert Hale |year=1974}}</ref> 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 of [[Scots baronial]] being developed by William Burn and others during the 1850s.<ref name=glendinning>{{cite book |author=Glendinning, Miles |author2=MacKechnie, Aonghus |author3=MacInnes, Ranald |title=A History of Scottish Architecture |page=270 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=0-7486-0849-4 |year=1996}}</ref> As an exercise in Scots baronial, it is sometimes described as too ordered, pedantic, and even [[Architecture of Germany|Germanic]] as a consequence of Prince Albert's influence on the design.<ref name=fenwick/>

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 of [[Highland culture]]. They decorated Balmoral with tartans and attended [[highland games]] at Braemar. Queen Victoria expressed an affinity for Scotland, even professing herself to be a [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Devine, T. M. |title=The Scottish Nation 1700–2000 |publisher=Penguin |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-14-102769-2}}</ref> Added to the work of [[Sir Walter Scott]], this became a major factor in promoting the adoption of [[Highland culture]] by [[Lowland Scotland|Lowland Scots]]. Historian [[Michael Lynch (historian)|Michael Lynch]] comments that "the Scottishness of Balmoral helped to give the monarchy a truly British dimension for the first time".<ref>{{cite book |author=Lynch, Michael |title=Scotland: A New History |publisher=Pimlico |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-7126-9893-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scotlandnewhisto0000lync }}</ref>

===Victoria and Albert at Balmoral===
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, diarist [[Charles Greville (diarist)|Charles Greville]] described their life at Balmoral as resembling that of gentry rather than royalty.<ref>Millar, p. 44</ref> Victoria began a policy of commissioning artists to record Balmoral, its surroundings, and its staff. Over the years, numerous painters were employed at Balmoral, including [[Edwin Landseer|Edwin]] and [[Charles Landseer]], and [[Carl Haag]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

During the 1850s, new plantations were established near the house and exotic [[conifer]]s were planted on the grounds. Prince Albert had an active role in these improvements, overseeing the design of [[parterre]]s, the diversion of the main road north of the river via a new bridge, and plans for farm buildings.<ref name=garden/> These buildings included a [[model farm|model dairy]] that he developed in 1861, the year of his death. The dairy was completed by Victoria. Subsequently, she also built several monuments to her husband on the estate. These include a pyramid-shaped [[cairn]] built a year after Albert's death, on top of ''Craig Lurachain''. A large statue of Albert with a dog and a gun by [[William Theed]], was inaugurated on 15 October 1867, the twenty-eighth anniversary of their engagement.<ref name="Balmoral">{{cite book|last=MacLean|first=Charles|title=Balmoral Highland Estate|publisher=Balmoral Castle and Estate}}</ref>{{rp|20–21}}<ref>Millar, p. 102</ref>

Following Albert's death, Victoria spent increasing periods at Balmoral, staying for as long as four months a year during early summer and autumn.{{clarify|date=May 2023}} She placed numerous mementos of Albert on display.<ref>Millar 1985, p. 101</ref>

Few further changes were made to the grounds, with the exception of some alterations to mountain paths, the erection of various cairns and monuments, and the addition of some cottages (''Karim Cottage'' and ''Baile na Coille'') built for senior staff.<ref name=garden/><ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|18}} It was during this period that Victoria began to depend on her servant, [[John Brown (servant)|John Brown]]. He was a local [[wikt:gillie|ghillie]] from Crathie, who became one of her closest companions during her long mourning.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|23}}

In 1887, Balmoral Castle was the birthplace of [[Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg|Victoria Eugenie]], a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was born to Princess [[Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|Beatrice]], the fifth daughter of Victoria and Albert. Victoria Eugenie became queen of Spain when she married King [[Alfonso XIII]] in 1906.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-a-z/battenberg-victoria  |title=Ena, princess of Battenberg (1887-1969)|date=31 May 2013 |publisher=National Records of Scotland|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

In September 1896, Victoria welcomed Emperor [[Nicholas II of Russia]] and Empress [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Alexandra]], 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/past-times/2827534/queen-victorias-final-visit-to-balmoral-marked-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-monarch/|title=Queen Victoria's final visit to Balmoral marked the beginning of the end for the monarch|date=21 January 2021|newspaper=Press and Journal|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="155px">
  BalmoralCastle1900.jpg|Balmoral ({{Circa|1890–1900}})
  Cairn for Prince Albert Balmoral.JPG|Memorial cairn for Prince Albert, Balmoral Estate
  George Washington Wilson (1823 - 1893) - Balmoral Business Room - ABDMS017805 - Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery and Museums Collection).jpg|Queen Victoria's Business Room at Balmoral
</gallery>

===After Victoria===
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.<ref name=garden/>

During the [[Second 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 renamed ''Garbh Allt Shiel'' and the "King of Prussia's Fountain" was removed from the grounds.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|25}}

In the 1950s, [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]] added herbaceous borders and a water garden. During the 1980s, new staff buildings were built close to the castle.<ref name=garden/>

===Death of Queen Elizabeth II===
Queen [[Elizabeth II]] had been at the castle since July 2022 for her annual summer holiday and had been receiving medical care there.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Tony |last2=Brady |first2=Jon |title=Queen arrives in Scotland for annual summer holiday at Balmoral |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/queen-arrives-scotland-annual-summer-27545898 |publisher=Daily Record |access-date=9 September 2022 |date=21 July 2022}}</ref> In a break with tradition, Balmoral Castle, rather than [[Buckingham Palace]], was the location of the appointment of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Liz Truss]] on 6 September 2022, due to concerns regarding the Queen's mobility issues.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Andersson, Jasmine |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62728328 |title=Queen to appoint new prime minister at Balmoral |work=BBC News |date=30 August 2022 |access-date=2 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Walker, Peter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/31/new-pm-will-meet-queen-at-balmoral-before-taking-over-at-no-10 |title=New PM will meet Queen at Balmoral before taking over at No 10 |work=The Guardian |date=31 August 2022 |access-date=2 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Foster, Max |author2=Said-Moorhouse, Lauren |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/uk/queen-elizabeth-prime-minister-balmoral-intl-gbr/index.html |title=Queen won't return to London to appoint new British PM, for first time in her reign |work=CNN |date=31 August 2022}}</ref> [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|Elizabeth died at Balmoral]] at 15:10 [[British Summer Time|BST]] on 8 September 2022 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 since [[James V of Scotland|James V]] died in 1542 at [[Falkland Palace]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thefocus.news/culture/queen-elizabeth-ii-is-the-first-british-monarch-to-die-in-scotland-since-james-v-in-1542/|title=Queen Elizabeth II is the first British monarch to die in Scotland since James V in 1542|work=The Focus|first=Ashley|last=Bautista|date=12 September 2022 |accessdate=28 November 2022}}</ref> 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 the [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]] in [[Edinburgh]] for the start of the state funeral proceedings.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Davies, Caroline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/queen-elizabeth-ii-britains-longest-reigning-monarch-dies-aged-96 |title=Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, dies aged 96 |work=The Guardian |date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Castle |first=Stephen |date=11 September 2022 |title=Crowds lined the route from Balmoral to bid farewell to their queen. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/world/queen-elizabeth-coffin-balmoral.html |access-date=12 October 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>