Blairquhan is a Regency-era castle near
MayboleMaybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,552. It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. ...
in
South AyrshireSouth Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is the historic home of the Hunter-Blair Baronets and remains in the family's possession. Blairquhan is protected as a category A
listed building, and the grounds are included in the
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in ScotlandThe Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list...
, the national listing of significant gardens.
History
Four different families have lived at Blairquhan or on its lands. The
McWhirterMcWhirter and Macwhirter, MacWhirter are Anglicisations of the Scottish Gaelic Mac an Chruiteir, meaning "son of the harpist or fiddler". The name is derived from the Gaelic cruitear, meaning "harpist", "fiddler". The Scottish name is generally found in Ayrshire...
s built the first tower house about 1346. The
KennedyClan Kennedy is a Scottish clan and an Irish surname.-Origins:The Kennedys had their home territory in Carrick in Ayrshire, in southwestern Scotland. Originally they were of Pictish/Norse stock from the Western Isles. In the fifteenth century, one Ulric Kennedy fled Ayrshire to Lochaber in the...
s then inherited the estate through marriage and built the remainder of the old castle about 1573. In the early 17th century the
WhitefordsDunduff Castle, South Ayrshire is a restored stair-tower situated on the hillside of Brown Carrick Hills above the Drumbane Burn, and overlooking the sea above Dunure, Parish of Maybole, Scotland.-History:...
took over, but in 1798, suffering the effects of a bank crash, they sold Blairquhan to
Sir David Hunter Blair, 3rd Baronet-Hunter-Blair Baronets of Dunskey, Wigtown:* Sir James Hunter-Blair, 1st Baronet* Sir John Hunter-Blair, 2nd Baronet* Sir David Hunter-Blair, 3rd Baronet* Sir Edward Hunter-Blair, 4th Baronet Revert;* Sir David Oswald Hunter-Blair, 5th Baronet...
, the second son of
Sir James Hunter Blair, 1st BaronetSir James Hunter Blair, 1st Baronet was a Scottish banker and politician.Born John Hunter, the son of an Ayr merchant, he became a banker in the banking company of Sir William Forbes, and acquired the estate of Robertland...
who had married Jean Blair, the daughter and heiress of John Blair of
DunskeyDunskey Castle is a ruined, early 16th century tower house, located south of the village of Portpatrick, Dumfries and Galloway, on the south-west coast of Scotland....
in
WigtownshireWigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
in 1770. When Jean Blair inherited her father’s estate in 1777, the family took the additional surname of Blair.
In 1820, Sir David commissioned Scottish
architectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
William BurnWilliam Burn was a Scottish architect, pioneer of the Scottish Baronial style.He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School. After training with the architect of the British Museum, Sir Robert Smirke, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812...
to design a new house on Blairquhan. The old castle, which had become ruinous due to previous fires and neglect, was torn down for a new the Tudor-style castle, which nevertheless incorporated some of the decorative mouldings and sculpted stones from the old castle into the kitchen courtyard of the new house. The new mansion was completed in 1824, and contains many antiques and an important collection of paintings by Scottish artists.
The estate and grounds
Perhaps the best achievement of Blairquhan are the three mile (5 km) approach to the castle along the river
GirvanGirvan is a burgh in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 8000 people. Originally a fishing port, it is now also a seaside resort with beaches and cliffs. Girvan dates back to 1668 when is became a municipal burgh incorporated by by charter...
and the beautiful walled gardens. The late James Hunter-Blair (1926–2004) was a noted
horticulturalistHorticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and
forester250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
who spent most of his life restoring the castle and preserving the estate grounds, which includes hundreds-year old trees. An ancient sycamore which stands in the shadow of the castle is thought to be a
Dule TreeDule or dool trees in Britain were used as gallows for public hangings. They were also used as gibbets for the display of the corpse for a considerable period of time after such hangings...
, planted early in the 16th century during the reign of King James V of Scotland. The once-spreading crown was heavily pruned in 1997, saving the much-weakened trunk from total collapse.
Surrounding area
Nestled in what is known as "
Burns' CountryRobert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
," Blairquhan is within walking distance to the small Ayrshire town of
StraitonStraiton is a village on the River Girvan in South Ayrshire in Scotland, mainly built in the 18th century, but with some recent housing.It was the main location for the film The Match, where two rival pubs played an annual football match as a challenge...
, and a short drive to Kirkmichael and Maybole. The entire area is known for its gently rolling,
pastoralThe adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
topographyTopography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, its hills dotted with sheep and traversed by the winding Girvan. On a clear day,
Ailsa CraigAilsa Craig is an island of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde, Scotland where blue hone granite was quarried to make curling stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed...
can be seen in the distance.
As a tourist attraction
Blairquhan is open to visitors on occasional days, or by appointment. The award-winning gardens are open to the public for tours in the summer. To help offset operating costs, Sir James opened the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) estate as a venue for private functions such as weddings, corporate outings and filming. With historic cottages and abundant places to picnic, fish or shoot, as well as its proximity to the legendary
Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
golf courses in
TroonTroon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
and
TurnberryTurnberry is a golf resort on the coast of the outer Firth of Clyde in southwestern Scotland. Located in South Ayrshire on the rugged coast, it comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star hotel, designed by James Miller and completed in 1906, as well as lodge and cottage...
, it is becoming a popular choice for lodging and those touring the
Scottish lowlandsThe Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
.
Blairquhan has also increased its profile as a filming location. It was seen in the UK television programme "
Beauty and the GeekBeauty and the Geek is a reality television show, first aired in the United Kingdom on E4 on February 7, 2006, following the success of the format in the United States, and was advertised similarly as "the Ultimate Social Experiment". The first series ended on 14 March, and was repeated on...
". Its interiors and grounds were also used as a substitute location for
Balmoral CastleBalmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...
in the Oscar-winning 2005 film
The QueenThe Queen is a 2006 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Helen Mirren as the title role, HM Queen Elizabeth II...
, starring
Helen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
.
External links