Tour Drumlanrig Castle
Map of this area

With its theatrical skyline makes an arresting picture in its splendid setting in Dumfries and Galloway. The interiors are graced by a superb collection of priceless family treasures.

A Douglas seat - As early as the 14C this was the site of a Douglas stronghold and son succeeded father until the late 18C. William, 3rd Earl and 1st Duke of Queensberry (1637-97). a man of high position under the Stuarts and of an artistic nature, built in 1679-91 a mansion worthy of his status. The Duke. appalled by the total cost, spent only one night in his palace before returning to the ancestral seat at Sanquhar. where he bitterly inscribed on the cover of his account book "The Deil pike out his eenwha looks herein". His son James, 2nd Duke (1672-1711),was better known as the Union Duke for his part in negotiating the Treaty of Union (1707). Since both his grandsons predeceased the 2nd Duke. the title passed to William (known as Old Q) in 1778 and he bled his Scottish estates with his profligate life in London. Through Jane Douglas, the 2nd Duke's sister and an heiress in her own right, her grandson Henry Scott. 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, inherited in 1810 as 5th Duke. It was he in turn who married the Montagu heiress from Boughton uniting the Douglas, Montagu and Scott families.

The square towers quartering the structure, built around a courtyard, are as reminiscent of the native tradition as the main facade, with its terraces, horseshoe staircase and dramatic turreted skyline, is a departure from such. The whole is rich in sculptural detail, not least the entrance breast with its ducal crown aloft. The inner courtyard has turret staircases at each corner.

Throughout the house are displayed a superb collection of paintings including Old Masters and family portraits, a varied selection of clocks and fine French furniture, mainly 17C and 18C from the workshops of such master cabinet makers as Charles Cressent( 1685-1768), Pierre II Migeon (1701-58) and Pierre Roussel.The Winged Heart on plasterwork ceilings, ironwork, wall-hangings, wood carvings and picture frames is a constant reminder that Drumlanrig is a Douglas seat.

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