Episode #49 – The Scottish Mason’s Daughter

1903 Scottish Trip Diary – Red Letter Entry About Midmar Castle

“June 23^rd, This days outing must go in red ink as it truly was a red letter day in my summer in Scotland. I got up early and did some of my packing before breakfast and was downstairs eating my breakfast when Georgie came home from the Websters. Mrs. Webster had been ill all night and Georgie was very tired being up late. None of us had ever been guests at a Castle before so we dressed very carefully. I wore my blue costume, Georgie wore a black and my Aunt wore her black silk and her new coat. We arrived at the station in plenty of time and my Aunt bought the tickets to Drum, a little station about twelve miles from Abderdeen on the Dee side Railroad. We left at 10.20 and the country was very beautiful. The broom was simply perfect and covered the hedges and the roadside too. It grows into large bushes and is just the cover of our Golden Rod. The blossom somewhat resembles a sweet pea but is on a stalk. This year my Aunt says the broom has been particularly beautiful I have seen it at its best. We were on the train about three quarters of an hour and as we alighted we saw the coachman and the wagonette waiting for us. The station master helped us in and we started for the Castle. It was a nine mile drive through exquisite country. The hills are covered in many places with firs and the broom is every where. For the first time I saw the Fox Glove which is very abundant later in the season. The birches were simply beautiful whole groves of them and avenues of plane trees (this tree resembles our Maple) and Beeches and Chestnuts. Either side of the road was blue with wild pansies. We call them Johnny Jump-ups and have them in our gardens. We saw some fine cattle, sleek and well fed. They certainly do look. As we drove along we saw Drum Castle in the distance and my Aunt recited some poetry about the Lord and his Lady. She often throws snatches of poetry into her conversation. We drove down a particularly fine road and away by the side of it was a beautiful road with beeches on either side of it and a burn running through it and what was my delight when the driver turned his horse and drove into the grounds leading to Midmar Castle. One often reads of the beautiful avenues leading up to a Castle but one does not often see it. This was a fine one and it was just exquisite to drive under a canopy of green and listen to the birds singing everywhere. We came first upon some buildings that I took to be the castle but they proved to be only the farm house but they had turrets here and there and would have passed as a castle anywhere. There was quite an incline and then a curve and before us was Midmar Castle. This picture Miss Gordon gave me but it is not a very good one. You will notice the turrets and the windows.

We drove around the castle and up to the court and there was Mrs. Gordon to welcome us. There is a sort of a porch at the entrance and stone steps leading up to it. Then the door was an old oak one all studded with brass nails. You can see it in the picture. We entered and all the walls were whitewashed, solid stone they were and the stairs were right in front of us. The stairway was broad and made three turns and in the corner on the second landing was a cabinet filled with choice bits of China and in every window was a beautiful bowl of some rare old pattern. There was no wood about the castle except the doors and in one or two rooms there was some panels. The first room we entered was large and was sort of a receiving room as all the other rooms opened off of it. It had a big oaken chest in it and we learned later that wraps and shawls and plaids were kept in it. A big round table covered with some potted ferns, some queer old chairs and a number of small tables. The pictures were all old engravings and they had quaint old frames on them. The fire places were very queer being placed much higher than is usual. The walls in this room were tinted a shade of terra cotta. The doors were hung with curtains of tapestry and added much to the charm of the room. The walls of the castle are about four feet thick and in some places seem much thicker even that that. We passed through an entry to the drawing room. It was a very large room, larger than any room in a house, more like a hall but oh so sweet and homely. It was a light gray tone and had a large fire place at one end and on either side was an immense window. There were five windows in the room and they all had long heavy curtains of tapestry. There were these couches. One square with a raised back in the middle and this was in the center of the room another long one with pillows and either down quill and rugs; it was the mothers couch placed near the windows and the fire place. Then one big easy one for the ordinary guest. The couches were all covered with creton (She means Cretonne which is a decorative material with large, printed floral patterns) coverings and all the chairs were too. There was a closet built in the wall for china and it was full of beautiful things. Then at one side was an old fashioned desk. Many chairs and tables here and there and books galore. The pictures were all relating to Scottish history and many about the Gordon family. After resting a few minutes we were taken out to see the garden and the glen. The court yard was all paved and we went to a gate in a high stone wall and Miss Gordon unlocked it and we entered a most interesting old flower garden. It was all laid out in forms and it contained roses, pansies, forget-me-nots and a great many flowers which I had never seen before. There was a holly tree that was very old and had grown to be the size of a big tree. Away in the distance was the long stretch of hills. There was a chair in the garden (in which we sat) made entirely of great branches of holly twined and intertwined and then clipped into shape. Our part of the garden was entirely roses and another were some old apple trees covered with a lichen. The wall about the garden was at least ten feet tall. A queer old bee hive was built in to the wall. We passed out of the garden into the glen. A little burn ran through it and we walked along by the side of it and all about us were giant trees and ferns and birds. I found a kindred spirit in Miss Alice Gordon as she had observed birds for years and was anxious to tell me the names of all that she knew about. The thrushes were on every side of us and were very tame. We saw Yellow Hammers, Chaf Finches, Robins, Black Birds and others too. The burn was not at all deep and we saw ever so many trout in it. We were conducted to an old wishing well and Georgie and I both took a dime and wished (The wishes have been known to come true so we rather expect ours will). We walked back through the glen and saw heather and black berries and lots of pine. Everywhere that our exceptionally fine view could be obtained would be found a comfortable bench and we seated often and feasted our eyes on the beautiful scenery. What is so rare as a day in June came in to my mind and will always be associated in the future with the glen. We returned to the castle and were shown to a bedroom to prepare for dinner. The stairs were stone and were very narrow and there were openings where the guard could shoot upon the enemy. The bedroom that we were ushered into was very large and had a big bed with a pink and white canopy. The bed spread was trips of linen embroidered with colors and put together with lace insertion and lace all around the edge. It was beautiful. There was a large dressing table, a writing table and a couch with pillows and a throw. Just a room to be comfortable in. After resting a bit we were taken down to the dining room, another large room. The table was beautiful (I don’t know what I should do without the word beautiful). The floral decorations were ferns growing in moss and just placed in sweet little white vases. There was a large one in the center and several about the table. The goblets were such a queer shape. We had chicken soup, boiled chicken and macaroni, chops, potatoes and spinach. We were offered wine but no one took any. Then for dessert we had rhubarb pudding, bread and butter pudding, curds and cream and sponge cakes. After dinner we were shown all thru the castle. We saw the room in which Queen Mary hid at one time. It is now the servant’s room. Then we went to the library which is in the tower. The room proper is round and off of it on three sides are the small openings like Turrets. Two were filled with books and the third was a writing room. In the center of the room was a table and on it a rare old vase. By the side of the fireplace was an old cruce (?). We saw some rare old books that Miss Gordon has been years in collecting. From the library we went up higher and stoop on the top of the tower and looked about us at the garden, glen, hills and trees. It was an enchanting sight. In the olden days people selected beautiful sights for their castles and paid great attention to the views. We saw the ancient sun dial below us. The view from Miss Gordon’s window was especially charming. After seeing all the apartments we went down to the drawing room and saw Mrs. Gordon for the first time. Such a sweet old lady with a cap and white ties on it and a black lace scarf draped on her head. She was on the couch and did not leave it at all as she is 87 years old and very frail. (I believe this was Elizabeth Crugar Gordon). In a short time we had tea and Miss G. was so disappointed as she wanted to have it out on the porch but some coal was brought so we had it inside. We had fresh scones, brown bread, white bread and cakes and tea. After tea we went back to the drawing room and I talked to the old lady while Georgie and Miss Gordon went after ferns. We had a most enjoyable talk and she asked me so many questions about America. Then Miss Gordon and I went in to the garden and had such a nice talk, later the others joined us and we came back through the garden and saw two interesting birds nests. One was a ground wren’s and was in the corner of a flower bed and the little birds were very young and ugly looking. The other nest was a thrushes and it was right on the middle of a holly bush that had been cut and shaped until it was just the shape of a cone. The mother bird flew off and left the little birds exposed to view. After walking about a little we returned to the castle and prepared for real tea. We had omelet for this tea seasoned with mixed spices, scones, bread, oat cakes, tea, coffee and sponge cake and citron cake. The sponge cake was iced and had colored sugar all over the top of it. The china was blue and white and was most beautiful. Miss Gordon gave us a couple of pictures of the castle and showed me a bird book and then it was time to go. We bade them all goodbye and got into the trap and drove off to the station. The drive was a fitting close for such an enjoyable day. We caught another glimpse of Drum Castle, the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland. We arrived at the station in time and Georgie and I gathered an armful of broom to take home with us. We rode home from the station in a cab and found Mr. and Mrs. Walker waiting to say farewell to me. We told them all about the day and then they left us and I finished my packing and Georgie and I went to bed and tired we were but not too tired to have a fare well chat and visit. Thus endeth one of the most delightful days that it has ever been my lot to live through. Long live in Gordon’s of Midmar Castle!”