These images are of Floors Castle, the home of the Duke & Duchess of Roxburghe, which we visited during our stay in the Borders. The first provides an easy understanding of the extravagance of the architecture. The second is of a painting of the castle, which hangs in the Ballroom, and shows it as it was built by William Adam in the 1720s. The additions and embellishments were made by William Playfair in the C19th, and is similar to Playfair's design of Donaldson's College in Edinburgh, which was very close to where we lived in the West End, in the late New Town. The Edinburgh building is said to have been favoured by Queen Victoria as (another) palace, a request refused by the city, resulting in her never again visiting.
Donaldson's College
and the silhouette view of it from our upstairs sitting room, herebelow:
The third is from the other side of the River Tweed. There are a number of magnificent country estates to visit in the Scottish Borders, but the one I most wanted to see, Mellerstain House, was closed, despite two attempts at trying to do so. Herewith however is a picture of the exterior. Again a William (and son Robert) Adam building, but for me the Adam interiors were the jewel that eluded me.
Mellerstain House
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