I'm here to say that I DID get some sleep in our room in Traquair house, and the only thing a little disconcerting was when the power went out. But, that only lasted a few seconds and the rest of the night was pretty much uneventful.
Breakfast was served downstairs in the Still Room, where an original painting from the 1800s still stands above the fireplace.
Our meals were presented on fine china, and delicate porcelain was used for my tea. I'm still a wee bit curious as to who the figure is that was on my spoon. Any ideas?
After breakfast, we set about exploring the interior of the house. But, before I go on, let me I'd like to show you the stairs that we used going from floor to floor
There was no doubting they were several hundred years old, and well worn!
And, here are the keys to the front door, as well as to the room where we stayed.
oh.... and the back of the bedroom door, I can't forget to show you that!
certainly quite different from any of the other places where we had stayed!
Now let me delve into the house a bit. I did take a lot of photos, but I'm not going to bore you with all of the details here. I'll just highlight some of the items that I found fascinating.
Do you recall my reference to the cradle that Mary, Queen of Scots used to rock the future King James, back in 1566? Well, I found it. In the King's room, which would have been one of the original rooms in Traquair back in the day.
It would have been used in the very room where it still stands.
On the bottom floor there is an Oak Door from 1601.
The earliest known English Montrose, marked London 1692
A coat of arms presented from Mary, Queen of Scots, thanking the family for opening their home to her.
A Koberger Bible dated 1501, preserved behind glass.
The Nuremberg Chronicle, printed in 1493
a shoe, belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots. (I have no idea what happened to its pair.)
The original cloak worn by the wife of William Maxwell, that was used to aid him in escaping from the Tower of London in 1715. It's behind glass to preserve the fabric. I find it amazing that someone thought to hold onto it!
And finally, the museum room has an original mural painted on the wall that dates to the 1500s.
Pretty amazing, isn't it?
There was this very impressive family tree on the wall in the downstairs hall.
What really caught my attention was how the royal line was documented through the use of crowns, and marriages were noted by a set of clasped hands. What an unusual and clever way to present the tree!
The house was filled to the brim with original paintings, some dating back into the 1500's, most of them representing someone in the Traquair family line. Here are just two that caught my eye.
In 1829, when Catholics were once again permitted to freely practice their faith, a chapel was inserted into one of the additions to the house.
It continues to be used with Mass being offered once a month inside. It was rather interesting to learn that it sits right above the brewery, offering some enticing smells for some as they come to worship.
I think that you'll agree that this house is a gem, filled with history that one generally can only view in a museum. How wonderful that we were able to take advantage of this opportunity!
Just when we decided that it was time to move on, a huge tour bus showed up and delivered a very large group of eager visitors who were heading to the front door. Perfect timing on that departure!
And speaking of perfect timing, Marty and I had decided to stop into Robert Smail's print shop, located just about a mile away, as it was a featured National Trust site to which we had free admittance. We no sooner walked through the door, and the attendant was eagerly ushering us to a tour that had just begun.
How great was that?
The tour was absolutely amazing. Both of the guides offered a wealth of information pertaining to this printing house, and delved into the many facets of printing that the original owner would have done.
The entire procedure was fascinating, and Jack, the young man upstairs, coached the group on just how to set Type for printing.
Then, everyone in the group was encouraged to set up their name to be printed.
My husband, of course, had to be a bit different.
Upper and lower are letters are stored in designated areas by use, not in alphabetical order.
The Capital letters are kept in the upper boxes, and the small letters are kept on the lower boxes. This is how the terms "Upper" and "lower" case were developed. How clever!
Jack had us pick and set our own type set, then he put it on the board, painted some ink overtop, and put the board into the press.
Perfect!
How much fun is that?
Time was moving on now, but we decided to take the advice of good hearted soul who recommended that we stop to see this Viaduct. I'm pretty sure that we saw it several years ago, but it did seem the perfect day to view it. And it was, indeed, stunning to see in the background.
We made the drive to South Queensferry, and managed to attend 5:00 Mass at St. Margaret's church. It's a very pretty interior that looks far nicer in person. The gold highlights have a glimmer that my phone just could not capture.
Then, we headed down into South Queensferry, to the Hawes Inn, where we are staying tonight.
Here's a view from our room.
Pretty amazing, don't you think?
We had a delightful dinner in the hotel restaurant, then headed up to our room to pack our bags as we have an early flight and need to leave in the wee hours of the morning.
It's certainly been another amazing trip, and we both feel so grateful that we were able to visit this beautiful country once again.
Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed our ventures!
Until next time!
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