Perthshire, Scotland, the ancient home of the Earls and Dukes of Atholl since 1269; famous for the only remaining private army in Europe – the Atholl Highlanders. Taking of photographs is allowed inside this castle, which is a welcome change to the normal rules!
The History of Blair Castle
Over nineteen generations, the Stewarts and Murrays of Atholl have backed winners and losers, fallen in an out of political favour, won battles and lost them. They have been adventurers and politicians, Jacobites and Royalists, entrepreneurs and agriculturalists, soldiers and scholars. And they have almost all, in one way or another, left their mark on Blair Castle.
The story of Blair Castle and the Dukes of Atholl will take you from Mary Queen of Scots to the English Civil War, from Lord George Murray and the Jacobite cause to the disaster of Culloden, and from the Isle of Man to Queen Victoria’s love affair with the Scottish Highlands and her presentation of Colours to the Atholl Highlanders.
Visit Now
When the Atholl family first made their home in the Strath of Garry, more than seven centuries ago, it was a wild and dangerous place. It was also a strategic one. Whoever held Blair Atholl was gatekeeper to the Grampian mountains and the route north to Inverness.
The Castle has been a magnet to visitors for generations. One or two have been turned away with a bucket of boiling oil or a volley of musket fire. Most have been warmly welcomed. Blair was one of the first private houses in Scotland to be opened to the public. Today, it welcomes more visitors than any other.
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An American Viscountess descover Blair Castle