The Washington herald., 1911-09-09

Balmoral, in the Scottish highlands, Is
the personal property of the King of
England and not a crown demesne. Mag
nificent scenery and the purest and most
invigorating of mountain air are its main
features. Queen Victoria and the prince
consort established their home there for
the autumn days in 1916. The present
castle stands on the banks OF the Dee,
with receding hills as a perfect back
ground. The Dark Lochnagar," 1000
feet high. towers ~ the south. There
was an old castle on the estate when
Queen Victoria purchased II in 1852, af-
ter having rented the place for a number
Ct years. In 1883 the erection OF the pres
ent castle was begun. Two years later
It was ready for occupancy.
The castle is built OF light granite and
Is Of the old Scotch baronial style Of
architecture. with round turrets and
crow-stepped gables. Its great tower. 100
feet high, is adorned by a clock which
gives the time to the neighborhood, and
is surmounted by a Flagstaff from which
the royal standard floats when the
sovereign is in his residence.
Were Queen Victoria to revisit Bal
moral to-day she would have difficulty
King Edward. who managed to put in
several weeks at Balmoral each year,
subjected the place to many changes,
converting what was formerly the back
of the castle into the main front, and
causing new laying out of the gardens
and grounds under the direction of Lord
Redesdale, the greatest living landscape
gardener. Formerly Lord Redesdale used
to go by the name OF BERTHE Milford,
and will as such be remembered by
many as the author of Tales of Old
Japan" The Canadian maple has been
used very extensively in the new gar
dens at Balmoral.
On the north and west these glorious
gardens are sloping down toward the
trees, under which a broad path is laid.
The stream, in fact, is so near the
castle that II the windows are open the
rush of the mountain torrent can be
heard.
ing Edward introduced all luXuries and
conveniences of modern life when he re-
modelled the castle, besides refurnishins
and redecorating the interior. Queen
Victoria was resolved to keep Balmoral
just as it had been in the days of her
early married life.
King Edward changed all this. BY
throwing down partition walls he con-
verted two and sometimes three small
rooms into one large and airy apart
ment; he introduced modern and COM
Portable furniture in place Of that
known as early Victorian;" he did
away with the tartan hangings and up
holstery, and impaired to every corner
OF the castle an atmosphere of light,
air, and cheeriness. He also caused
Balmoral to be equipped with heating
apparatus. In the days Of QueeRYic-
toHia a visit to her Highland home was
so dreaded by older statesmen that Lord
Beaconsfield, Lord Salisbury, and Mr..
Gladstone all stipulated when accepting
the premiership that they should not
be required to attend at Balmoral.
King Edward never really liked Bal
moral. He could not get over his expert
ence there in his youth and early man
hood and often spoke OF the drafty
rooms and the cold, his mother, who was
altogether insensible to inclement wealth
er, insisting that the windows in her
apartments being kept, wide open in the
bitterest of winter nights. With his son,
the present King, IT is quite different. He
has always been very fond OF BaImoral.
and he likes the healthy climate and de-
lights in the fine salmon fishing in the
Dee and the. deer stalking In BalmoraI
forest. He Is thoroughly at home there