Balhousie Castle, located in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
(on Hay Street, originally a few hundred metres north of the medieval town), was built in the 17th century.
History
The castle was built in 1631, although its origins are believed to go back a further three hundred years. It originally served as the seat of the
Earls of Kinnoull
Earl of Kinnoull (sometimes spelled Earl of Kinnoul) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull, George Hay, 1st Viscount of Dupplin. Other associated titles are: ''Viscount Dupplin'' and ...
, and stood within a walled enclosure containing subsidiary buildings, orchards etc., on a terrace overlooking the
North Inch
North Inch is a large public park in Perth, Scotland, Perth, Scotland. About in size, it is one of two "Inches" in Perth, the other being the smaller, 31-hectare South Inch, located half a mile across the city. The inches were granted to the ci ...
. After falling into neglect in the early 19th century, the Castle was 'restored' (in fact, virtually rebuilt), and extensively remodelled on a larger scale between 1862 and 1864 in the
Scottish Baronial style
Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th-century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...
by the architect
David Smart. No original features survive except for parts of the original rubble walls on the east side.
The Regimental Trustees of the
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
bought Balhousie Castle in January 2009 and it became the Regimental Headquarters and Museum of the regiment. The museum displays the history of the regiment from 1739 to the present. The Black Watch Heritage Appeal was launched in September 2009 allowing the regiment to raise in excess of £3.2 million to develop Balhousie Castle to provide a permanent home for the museum and archive of The Black Watch.
The castle contains ''No Surrender'', a painting by
Frank Feller (1848–1908), showing the aftermath of the
Battle of Magersfontein
The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley, South Africa, on t ...
(11 December 1899) in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
.
Gallery
File:Balhousie Castle (1) - geograph.org.uk - 548490.jpg, The entrance to the castle, viewed through the main gate
File:Balhousie Castle (2) - geograph.org.uk - 548499.jpg, A close-up of the castle's entrance
File:Balhousie Castle (3) - geograph.org.uk - 548503.jpg, The castle's turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
s
See also
*
List of listed buildings in Perth, Scotland
References
External links
The Black Watch
{{Authority control
Castles in Perth, Scotland
Regimental museums in Scotland
Category B listed buildings in Perth and Kinross
Listed castles in Scotland
Museums in Perth and Kinross
Buildings and structures completed in 1631
1631 establishments in Scotland
Listed buildings in Perth, Scotland