Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 4, 1896

166
THE GiiLTIC MONTHLY.
and through — poor John lies buried iu the
graveyard of Loch Broom, and Mr. Bignold,
who attended the funeral, erected a tombstone,
with the following inscription, to his memory: —
"Tot cervoruni Victor non senectuti sed cervo
cessit." The county road passes for fifteen
miles through the property, and some two
miles from its western extremity stands Loch-
rosque Castle and, seven hundred feet above it,
a small artificial loch constructed for the
manufacture of electricity, the water being led
in clay and u-on pipes to the turbine, three-
quarters of a mile below the artificial loch. This
is the greatest fall of any water power installa-
tion in the British islands. The electric light
is utihzed in every part of the precincts, whilst
in an archway is seen an electrical clock which
shews the time at night from far off in the hills.
The golden eagles iu their house by the stables
are a constant source of amusement to the
passing tourist, the crag where their parents
buUt their eyrie being also visible from the
road. The wood around the castle has yet to
grow, for the oldest trees can boast no moi'e
than seventeen summers, but the terraces with
their Nairnshire stone steps are finished to
perfection and provide a dehghtful promenade
on an autumn evening.
Lochrosque Castle itself, of which we subjoin
a photograph, though erected upon an
admirably chosen site above the waters of the
loch whose name it bears, shews at a glance
that it has been the subject of reconstruction
and additions, but what it loses in symmetry it
certainly gains in comfort and convenience.
The view from the battlements of the eastern
tower, eighty-five feet in height, is really fine.
On this tower is a nautical search-hght of a
hundred candle power, through which night
can be almost converted into day, upon any
spot where the rays are thrown. It is, how-
ever, the interior of the castle which is so
perfect, probably surpassing any house in
Scotland. There are seven recejation rooms.
The two ante halls of the castle are of plain
stone with oak dados and ceilings, and from
the interior of the two a door opens leading
downwards to the heating chambers which
send out their pipes beneath the building and
upwards to a winding stair of some hundi'ed
stone steps to the battlement above the tower.
The hall itself and all the galleries and passages
are covered with ancient Spanish leather
stripped from the walls of an old house in the
Netherlands, whilst the ceiling of the hall is of
oUve-wood from Spain. The princijjal stau-case
is of carved oak, and when on view in Aberdeen
some years ago was greatly admired. The
hbrai'y, also formed entirely of Austrian wains-
cot, contains many presentation copies of books,
and first editions, notable amongst which is a
fine copy of the first edition of the plays of
Shakespeare. The long drawing room divided
by a marble piUared archway is the feature of
the house, the walls being draped with silk and
ornamented with real silver sconces and balus-
trades. S^jace prevents a description of the
statuary, which is magnificent, and of the
pictures, but to a connoisseur it would be a
real delight to examine the china and hard-
stone carvings which were on view at the
South Kensington Museum.
lAT n|- .\i;MS OF .MR. lilCiNOLU