30 April, 2013 (Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them)
Today was another long and interesting touring day. Our first
stop was the impressive Scone Palace which is set in magnificent gardens on the
banks of the River Tay.
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| Scone Palace |
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| The gardens are popular for an enjoyable day out. |
Scone Palace was
constructed in 1802 by recasting a 16th century castle and has certainly had an exciting history as it has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning
place of the Kings of the Scots including, Macbeth and Robert the Bruce. The
Kings were crowned whilst kneeling on the Stone of Scone near the chapel on
Moot Hill.
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| Moot Hill with the chapel in the background |
The Stone of Scone is often referred to as the Stone of
Destiny or the Coronation Stone and was used for centuries in the coronation ceremonies
of the monarchs of Scotland and later Britain. It was last used in 1953 for the
coronation of Elisabeth II. A replica of
the Stone remains at Scone Palace but the original is now in Edinburgh Castle.
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| A Replica of the Stone of Scone |
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| This marble panel of the coronation ceremony is in the Chapel |
Scone Palace houses an outstanding collection of antiques, paintings
and rare artifacts, including a large collection of porcelain as well
as a series of exquisite Vernis Martin paper mache items. We enjoyed able wandering around at our leisure
using the self guide tour information. Unfortunately, we were unable to take
indoor photos so we made up for that outdoors.
On our arrival and departure we were greeted by this colourful peacock .
Apparently the peacocks are named after
the kings who have been crowned at Scone Palace.
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| We are not sure of this chap's name. Maybe we could call him, King Robert the Bruce! |
Moving right along we headed for Glamis Castle which was the
childhood home of HM The Queen Mother, the birthplace of HRH Princes Margaret and
the setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
The Castle, dating back to 1372, was gifted to Lyon
family by King Robert II and since then has been visited by members of the
Royal family.
Today Glamis Castle looks more like a French Chateau rather than a
castle as it was extensively restored during the 17th and 18th
centuries. It is in a truly amazing setting in the foothills of the Angus
Glen near north of Dundee with stunning gardens.
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| Note the snow on the hills |
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| Glamis Castle |
We thoroughly enjoyed the
guided tour throughout the stately rooms, including the Queen Mother’s Royal
Apartments and viewing the large collection of 16th century
paintings. (No indoor photos again)
Glamis Castle is also a working farm and has a number of the famous woolly
highland cows (“heelan coos”).
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| Heelan Coo as the Scots would say (Photo courtsey of the Internet) |
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