Day 2 Aberdeenshire, Scotland

31ST AUGUST 2018 MEETING LUCY BRYDON AT FYVIE CASTLE AND HADDO HOUSE

Fyvie Castle and Haddo House, Scotland

FYVIE CASTLE

We met my arty friend Lucy Brydon at Fyvie Castle. We were half an hour late!! We were caught out with distances and time and I was so afraid Lucy might have left. I am so sorry we were so late. But when we met it was like catching up with an old friend which wasn't good during the tour of the castle as we couldn't stop whispering to each other - usually about the art - they had some great paintings, even some by Scottish portrait artist Sir Henry Raeburn (4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823). They had some very old books and there was mention of a ghost!

Meeting Lucy Brydon at Fyvie Castle

From Wiki: "The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion. Fyvie was the site of an open-air court held by Robert the Bruce, and Charles I lived there as a child. Following the Battle of Otterburn in 1390, it ceased to be a royal stronghold and instead fell into the possession of five successive families – Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Leith – each of whom added a new tower to the castle. The oldest of these, the Preston tower (located on the far right as one faces the main facade of Fyvie), dates to between 1390 and 1433. The impressive Seton tower forms the entrance, and was erected in 1599 by Alexander Seton; Seton also commissioned the great processional staircase several years later. The Gordon tower followed in 1778 , and the Leith in 1890.

Inside, the castle stronghold features a great wheel stair, a display of original arms and armour, and a collection of portraits."

Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Artwork in Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The gardens were stunning...Fyvie castle was one of my favourite castles we visited.

Flowers from Fyvie Castle gardens, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The gardens of Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

HADDO HOUSE

After reluctantly saying goodbye to Lucy we went to Haddo House. Unfortunately there were no more tours that day, which was a shame because the House contains an extensive art collection so we looked around the gardens.

Haddo House, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Haddo House Gardens, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Haddo House was an emergency maternity hospital during World War Two and these boards contained information about the history of the House. I love the painting of the Hon Ishbel Marjoribanks in the centre photo. From Wiki: "It seems that their marriage was a love match as they were long time friends and Ishbel developed a crush on Hamilton-Gordon at just 14." Aww, so sweet.