Sunday 30 October 2022
REMEMBERING: A new future for Stewart Christie & Co Ltd
Friday 28 October 2022
12th Duke of Atholl BBC / The 12th, 11th and 10th Dukes of Atholl.
Bruce
George Ronald Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl OStJ (born 5/6 April 1960), is a
South African-born hereditary peer in the Peerage of Scotland and Chief of Clan
Murray.As Duke of Atholl, he has the right to raise Europe's only legal private
army, the Atholl Highlanders, a unique privilege granted to his family by Queen
Victoria after visiting Blair Atholl in 1844.
The elder
son of John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl, and Margaret Yvonne née Leach, now
styled the Dowager Duchess of Atholl, graduated from Jeppe High School for Boys
Johannesburg in 1979. He was educated at Saasveld Forestry College before
serving his two years' National Service with the South African Infantry Corps.
He is currently a volunteer member of the Transvaal Scottish Regiment, holding
the rank of lieutenant. Previously he managed a tea plantation, but then ran a
signage business producing signs for commercial buildings.He was commissioned
into the Atholl Highlanders in 2000, being appointed as lieutenant colonel. Upon
the death of his father on 15 May 2012, he succeeded to all his father's
titles, becoming the 12th Duke of Atholl.
The Duke
first married on 4 February 1984, in Johannesburg, to Lynne Elizabeth Andrew
(born Johannesburg, 7 June 1963), daughter of Nicholas George Andrew of
Bedfordview, South Africa (born Brighton, East Sussex, June 1939) and wife
Evelyn Donne de Villiers, and they divorced in 2003. Together they had three
children, two sons and one daughter:
Michael
Bruce John Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (born Louis Trichardt, 5 March
1985)
Lord David
Nicholas George Murray (born Louis Trichardt, 31 January 1986)
Lady Nicole
Murray (born Duiwelskloof, 11 July 1987); married to Peter Piek
He married
secondly Charmaine Myrna du Toit in 2009, without issue.
Obituaries
Obituary: John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl, retired
South African surveyor who inherited one of Scotland’s most ancient titles
Born: 19
January, 1929, in Johannesburg. Died: 15 May, 2012, near Haenertsburg, South
Africa, aged
By The
Newsroom
19th May 2012,
1:00am
ALTHOUGH of
distant Scots origin, John Murray was a retired South African land surveyor in
his mid-60s when he was informed he had inherited one of Scotland’s most
ancient titles, Duke of Atholl. That also made him, overnight, chief of the
Clan Murray and Colonel-in-Chief of Europe’s only legal private army, the
Atholl Highlanders infantry regiment, as well as giving him umpteen other
courtesy titles within the Scottish peerage, from Balquhidder to Glenalmond.
His son Bruce, also very much a South African, suddenly became Marquess of
Tullibardine, the Perthshire area now perhaps best known for its single malt
distillery.
Until John
Murray took over his new titles in 1996, he had only rarely had a dram and
never owned a kilt. Throughout his life, he had thought little, if at all, of
the fact that he was a distant (third) cousin of Iain Murray, the tenth Duke of
Atholl and chief of Clan Murray who lived in the 13th-century Blair Castle,
Perthshire, with its 120,000-acre estate. The South African surveyor knew of
the distant relationship and had visited the castle once, in 1994, but the
distant family connection was never a factor in his life until the tenth Duke
passed away in 1996.
Even after
being told he had inherited the historic titles, the 11th Duke continued to
live in quiet retirement in a South African mountain village, preferring the
South African sun to the damp of Scottish castles. He did, however, visit
Scotland once a year to carry out his ceremonial duties.
These
included inspecting the annual parade of the Atholl Highlanders, made up of 85
local men and officers, at the family’s historic seat, Blair Castle, before
presiding over the traditional Blair Atholl Highland Games in the nearby
village.
In full
Highland dress, and with his wife, the Duchess Peggy, by his side, he did so
every year to the delight of the locals until ill health forced him to miss
last year’s gathering. This year’s parade and gathering will go ahead next
weekend as planned, with the castle’s flags at half-mast as a sign of respect,
and a memorial service added.
Locals hope
the new, 12th, Duke, John’s son Bruce, will come over from South Africa to fulfil
the traditional role.
Despite all
the titles, and the extent of the Atholl estates, the 11th Duke inherited no
land. The tenth Duke, affectionately and teasingly dubbed “wee Iain” in the
Scottish media because he stood 6’ 5” in his garter-flash stocking soles, had
handed the 120-room castle and estates over to a charitable trust a year before
he died.
Some say
the canny “wee Iain” was miffed that the historic Scottish estate was about to
get into the hands of a distant cousin in South Africa who might see it as “a
commercial concern, not a home”. John Murray, the 11th Duke, insisted he had
never considered turning the estate into a commercial concern but he certainly
never got the chance to and it now belongs to the Blair Charitable Trust, with
Blair Castle a major tourist attraction and relatives of the 10th Duke among
the trustees. It is popular for Highland banquets, balls, weddings and other
functions. “I never harboured any aspirations to inherit the estate,” the 11th
Duke later said.
“I am happy
that the land has gone into a charitable trust. I have a simple lifestyle and
will not make myself ridiculous with a title that does not fit my scene. It
means nothing in South Africa … I have Scottish blood in my veins, but no
Scottish culture … I respect and honour Scotland as the land of my origins, but
I would never want to live there. I am a South African, not a Scotsman. My
heart and my mind are in this country (South Africa).”
With the
castle part of a trust, and open to the public, the popularity of the 11th Duke
and Duchess Peggy was such that they were often invited to stay in private
homes during their visits to Scotland.
To many
Scots historians, and non-Murray clansmen with long memories, the Dukes of
Atholl will forever be remembered most for being among the first large
landowners to launch the Highland Clearances in the 19th century, evicting
crofters and their families in favour of sheep.
It was a
legacy difficult to live down thereafter – many Atholl crofters were forced to
emigrate to the colonies – but the new South African Duke of the 1990s quickly
won over the locals in his historic homeland through his humility and
dedication to his ceremonial role.
He pledged
to maintain Atholl traditions, notably to retain the Atholl Highlanders, mainly
as a tourist attraction. The regiment was founded in 1844 after Queen Victoria,
said to have partaken freely of the local whisky, mixed with a fine French
claret as was her English wont, gave the Duke of the time a unique licence to
form his own private army, one that need not be beholden to the army of Great
Britain.
Although
the Atholl Highlanders are composed mainly of locals from the Blair Atholl
area, the late Duke recently recruited his South African grandson, who held the
titles Master of Tullibardine and Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle, into the
regiment.
John Murray
was born in Johannesburg in 1929, the only child of Major George Murray and
Joan Eastwood. His father died in active service during the Second World War,
when John was 11 years old.
After
gaining a degree in engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand in
Johannesburg, he got his first job as a land surveyor, the career he would
follow all his life.
In 1956, he
married Margaret “Peggy” Leach, who would become a reflexologist, and they
would go on to have three children, including, in 1960, a baby called Bruce.
Who could
have imagined that a South African baby called Bruce would one day become the
12th Duke of Atholl, chief of the Clan Murray, colonel-in-chief of the Atholl
Highlanders?
“His Grace”
(as protocol required him to be addressed) the 11th Duke of Atholl is survived
by his wife Margaret (“Peggy”), children Bruce, Craig and Jennifer, and seven
grandchildren.
Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl
George Iain
Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl, DL (19 June 1931 – 27 February 1996), known as Wee
Iain, was a Scottish peer and landowner.
Background
and education
Murray was
the only surviving child of Lieutenant-Colonel George Anthony Murray
(1907–1945), who was killed in action in the Second World War, and the
Honourable Angela Pearson (1910–1981), daughter of The 2nd Viscount Cowdray. He
was a great-grandson of Sir George Murray, grandson of the Right Reverend
George Murray, son of the Right Reverend Lord George Murray, second son of The
3rd Duke of Atholl, who in turn was eldest son of renowned Scottish Jacobite
Lord George Murray. Through his American great-grandfather, Brigadier General
Daniel M. Frost of the Confederate States Army, he was a descendant of the
Winthrop family and a distant cousin to former Secretary of State John Kerry.
He attended
both Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, before succeeding the 9th duke, his fourth
cousin twice removed, as 10th Duke of Atholl in 1957.[1] With a height of six
feet, five inches, he was one of the tallest Scottish peers, leading to the
whimsical name of "Wee Iain".
Public life
Atholl
inherited an estate of approximately 120,000 acres (496 km2)—although this was
a decline from the 190,000 acres (769 km2) in the 19th century, it was still a
smaller decline than many other Scottish estates. Under his stewardship, the
estate in and around Blair Castle became a significant area for tourism and
forestry, on which he was an acknowledged expert and spoke many times in the
House of Lords, having been elected a Scottish Representative Peer in 1958.[1]
In addition, he resurrected the Atholl Highlanders, the ceremonial private army
of the dukedom composed of estate workers and family friends, as a tourist
attraction.
He was an
active member of the Conservative Monday Club. He also held several business
appointments, notably as Chairman of BPM Holdings between 1972 and 1983 and of
Westminster Press Group between 1974 and 1996 and as a director of Pearson
Longman between 1975 and 1983. In 1980 he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of
Perth and Kinross.
Personal
life
Atholl died
unmarried in February 1996, aged 64, with the titles passing to his second
cousin, once removed, John Murray, a South African land surveyor.[1] The day
before the death of the 10th Duke, it was announced that he had given Blair
Castle and most of his estates to a charitable trust, thus effectively disinheriting
his heir. The new duke had indicated he had little interest in leaving South
Africa, and though he honoured the land of his origins, said: "I am a
South African, not a Scotsman."
Wednesday 26 October 2022
House of Bruar - Explore the House of Bruar
CORE FAMILY
VALUES
Since we
opened in 1995, our store has continued to grow and expand into what we are
today. We are proud to hold our values close and hope they meet our customer
expectations.
COUNTRY
CLOTHING & LIFESTYLE
Our roots
are defined by a rural lifestyle, and if you want to build your country
wardrobe then you will feel right at home.
BRITISH
MADE
We are
passionate about supporting local businesses, and we are extremely committed to
working with some of the last UK's remaining woollen mills.
HIGH-QUALITY
Producing
the highest quality garments is our focus throughout the design process. We
work tirelessly to ensure you get the best product at an affordable price.
SHAPED BY
SCOTLAND
Our
location at the gateway to the Scottish Highlands is hugely influential to our
brand. We are proud to reflect this beautiful country and its people.
FAMILY
BUSINESS
Family is
at the heart of our business, and extends throughout all those who have worked
for us and still with us. As the business grows, so does the House of Bruar
family.
The UK’s
Leading Scottish Country Clothing Specialist
The House
of Bruar’s clothing collection offers a wide range of high-quality items that
all share a distinct sense of refined rural style. From time-honoured tweeds to
high-performance modern outdoorswear that can handle the worst excesses of the
Scottish weather, our selection covers the full spectrum of country clothing,
ensuring you’re always admirably equipped whatever the situation.
And if you’re
looking for something a little more casual, you’ll find a full complement of
smart yet comfortable sweaters, cardigans and slipovers masterfully crafted in
luxury textiles including cashmere, merino and lambswool awaiting you, all
finished to the usual high standards you’ve come to expect from the House of
Bruar.
In addition
to the many items produced exclusively for us under our own House of Bruar
label, our country clothing range also includes selected items from premium
outdoor clothing brands including Barbour, Jack Wolfskin, Musto, Aigle and
Schoffel - these manufacturers consistently produce world-class men’s country
clothing that delivers outstanding performance in the field, and we’re proud to
include these prestigious brands at the heart of our country clothing
collection.
THE HOUSE OF BRUAR
Clothes
Pitlochry Perthshire
The House of Bruar is widely acknowledged as Scotland’s
most prestigious independent store, and its regal stature at the gateway to the
Highlands makes it clear to see why.
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/shopping/the-house-of-bruar-p234111
Situated on
the A9, a short drive north of Pitlochry, The House of Bruar offers an
extensive range of high quality products in both the Men’s and Ladies clothing
halls. There is also a taste of luxury from gourmet produce, artisan treats and
a fine selection of whisky and spirits in the Food Hall – which also homes the
award winning in-store butchery and delicatessen.
Housing the
largest collection of Cashmere in the UK, you will be spoilt for choice in the
Knitwear hall – which carries a large variety of high quality natural fibres.
The use of natural fibres extends further into their ample offerings of Tweed
garments and accessories, reflecting the Scottish heritage within the brand.
The Country
Living and Present Shop departments carry plenty of choice for decorating your
home, or even the perfect gift. It’s the home of country style all under one
roof. Take a stroll through the Art Gallery, where work is displayed from up
and coming artists who have a firm interest in Scottish wildlife and scenery
within their art.
Should you
be looking for a spot of lunch during your visit, then don’t miss the
Restaurant – which serves up a variety of meals including a full roast provided
by the Butchery, delicious soups, sandwiches, enticing cakes and a selection of
meals cooked to order. All of these can be enjoyed in the heated conservatory
so you can take pleasure in sitting outdoors, whatever the weather.
The House
of Bruar attracts visitors from all over to its captivating grounds and no trip
to Scotland would be complete without a visit.
Getting Here: Car
The House
of Bruar is situated off the A9, approximately 10 miles north of Pitlochry in
Perthshire. Take the exit for "Bruar B8079/House of Bruar". If you
are using a Sat Nav, our postcode is PH18 5TW
You can
travel to the House of Bruar using the Stagecoach 83 or 87 bus route to
Calvine/Old Struan which departs from the West End Car Park in Pitlochry. Bus
links are limited in rural areas and driving to the site is recommended.
Tuesday 25 October 2022
BREAKING: Rishi Sunak has officially become the Prime Minister following an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace.
Monday 24 October 2022
Threading the Needle Volume II by Richard Press –– grandson of J.Press founder
New Haven
Mayor Justin Elicker joined Michinobu Yasumoto, president and CEO of J.Press /
Onward
Holdings, who was in attendance from Japan, along with Richard Press ––
grandson of
J.Press
founder, Jacobi Press for the ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration. The
event also
served as
the official launch for Richard Press’ new book Threading the Needle Volume II
giving
partygoers
the opportunity for a signed copy and a first look at the new book.
Located at
262 Elm Street, the new store draws a direct link to the past as it adjoins the
previous J.
Press location on York Street. Measuring 1,780 square feet, the building has
been
restored to
its original charm and has an austere exterior featuring classic J. Press blue
awnings.
The shop has been decorated with vintage furniture from the original store and
Ivy-themed
bric-a-brac. This new store will offer a colorful collection of sportswear and
the
classic
tailored clothing that J. Press has sold in New Haven for more than a century.
Sunday 23 October 2022
The Crown | Season 5 Official Trailer | Netflix / Netflix adds disclaimer under The Crown's trailer for series five
Netflix adds disclaimer under The Crown's trailer for
series five
Published
1 day ago
By Paul
Glynn and Helen Bushby
Entertainment
reporter
Netflix has added a disclaimer to its marketing for
The Crown, saying the show is a "fictional dramatisation",
"inspired by real-life events".
It appears
under the YouTube trailer for the upcoming series five and on the streaming
site's title synopsis page.
Netflix
told BBC News the show "has always been presented as a drama based on
historical events".
Dame Judi
Dench and ex-Prime Minister Sir John Major have raised concerns about the
accuracy of the royal drama.
The
description of the series says: "Inspired by real events, this fictional
dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and
personal events that shaped her reign."
Similar
language has been used in press statements before, but no previous trailers or
synopsis descriptions have carried the word "fictional".
This week,
Dame Judi became the latest high-profile figure to call for The Crown to have a
disclaimer at the start of each episode, to make clear the series is not
necessarily true.
The
actress, who is close to King Charles and the Queen Consort, said Netflix
"seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude
sensationalism".
She added
there was a risk that "a significant number of viewers" would take
its events as historical truth.
The Oscar
winner, who has portrayed Queen Victoria on screen, said suggestions expected
to be made in the new series were "cruelly unjust to the individuals and
damaging to the institution they represent", especially coming so soon
after the death of the Queen.
'Scrutinised
and well documented'
Netflix has
defended The Crown, saying series five is "a fictional dramatisation,
imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant
decade for the royal family - one that has already been scrutinised and well
documented by journalists, biographers and historians."
The trailer
for the new series, which airs on 9 November, was released on Thursday. It
suggests the series will focus heavily on Diana, Princess of Wales, and the
fallout as she and Prince Charles, as he was then, prepare to divorce.
It includes
a recreation of Princess Diana's 1995 interview with Martin Bashir. The real footage
will not be shown on the BBC again after an inquiry found "deceitful"
means were used to obtain it.
Diana,
played by Elizabeth Debicki, is seen telling Bashir, portrayed by Prasanna
Puwanarajah: "I won't go quietly, I'll battle until the end." In real
life, Princess Diana did not say that in the interview.
Netflix
defends The Crown after John Major rebuke
Dame Judi's
comments followed concerns by former prime minister Sir John Major, who said an
upcoming scene that is said to include a conversation between him and Prince
Charles, as he was then, about the Queen abdicating, was "a barrel-load of
malicious nonsense"
Thursday 20 October 2022
The New Town in Edinburgh
The 18th century
is the century of the Scottish Enlightenment, which brought in notable figures
such as Adam Smith the economist or Robert Adam, the famous Neo-Classic
Architect.
This is the
century that brought the expansion of Edinburgh through the construction of the
New Town, a large area built in a
fabulous Neo-Classical style, using an urban discourse of great scholarship and
developing a successive series of streets, squares, terraces, crescents and
circus.
In Robert Adam's remarkable Charlotte Square,
you can visit a National Trust house furnished and decorated in a pure Georgian
style and illustrative of the everyday life of the time.
Edinburgh New Town | The best Georgian architecture anywhere!
The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street, facing Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town across the geological depression of the former Nor Loch. Together with the West End, the New Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Old Town in 1995. The area is also famed for the New Town Gardens, a heritage designation since March 2001.
Proposal and planning
The idea of a New Town was first suggested in the late 17th century when the Duke of Albany and York (later King James VII and II), when resident Royal Commissioner at Holyrood Palace, encouraged the idea of having an extended regality to the north of the city and a North Bridge. He gave the city a grant:
That, when they should have occasion to enlarge their city by purchasing ground without the town, or to build bridges or arches for the accomplishing of the same, not only were the proprietors of such lands obliged to part with the same on reasonable terms, but when in possession thereof, they are to be erected into a regality in favour of the citizens.
It is possible that, with such patronage, the New Town may have been built many years earlier than it was but, in 1682, the Duke left the city and became King in 1685, only to lose the throne in 1688.
The decision to construct a New Town was taken by the city fathers, after overcrowding inside the walls of the Old Town reached breaking point and to prevent an exodus of wealthy citizens from the city to London.[3] The Age of Enlightenment had arrived in Edinburgh, and the outdated city fabric did not suit the professional and merchant classes who lived there. Lord Provost George Drummond succeeded in extending the boundary of the Royal Burgh to encompass the fields to the north of the Nor Loch, the heavily polluted body of water which occupied the valley immediately north of the city. A scheme to drain the Loch was put into action, although the process was not fully completed until 1817. Crossing points were built to access the new land; the North Bridge in 1772, and the Earthen Mound, which began as a tip for material excavated during construction of the New Town. The Mound, as it is known today, reached its present proportions in the 1830s.
As the successive stages of the New Town were developed, the rich moved northwards from cramped tenements in narrow closes into grand Georgian homes on wide roads. However, the poor remained in the Old Town.
The First New Town
A design competition was held in January 1766 to find a suitably modern layout for the new suburb. It was won by 26-year-old James Craig, who, following the natural contours of the land, proposed a simple axial grid, with a principal thoroughfare along the ridge linking two garden squares. Two other main roads were located downhill to the north and south with two minor streets between. Several mews off the minor streets provided stable lanes for the large homes. Completing the grid are three north-south cross streets.
Craig's original plan has not survived but it has been suggested that it is indicated on a map published by John Laurie in 1766. This map shows a diagonal layout with a central square reflecting a new era of civic Hanoverian British patriotism by echoing the design of the Union Flag. Both Princes Street and Queen Street are shown as double sided. A simpler revised design reflected the same spirit in the names of its streets and civic spaces.
Street names
The intended principal street was named George Street, after the king at the time, George III. Queen Street was to be located to the north, named after his wife, and St. Giles Street to the south, after the city's patron saint. St Andrew Square and St. George's Square were the names chosen to represent the union of Scotland and England. The idea was continued with the smaller Thistle Street (for Scotland's national emblem) between George Street and Queen Street, and Rose Street (for England's emblem) between George Street and Princes Street.
King George rejected the name St. Giles Street, St Giles being the patron saint of lepers and also the name of a slum area or 'rookery' on the edge of the City of London. It was therefore renamed Prince's Street after his eldest son, the Prince of Wales. The name of St. George's Square was changed to Charlotte Square, after the Queen, to avoid confusion with the existing George Square on the South Side of the Old Town. The westernmost blocks of Thistle Street were renamed Hill Street and Young Street, making Thistle Street half the length of Rose Street. The three streets completing the grid, Castle, Frederick and Hanover Streets, were named for the view of the castle, King George's second son Prince Frederick, and the House of Hanover respectively.
Craig's proposals hit further problems when development began. Initially the exposed new site was unpopular, leading to a £20 premium being offered to the first builder on site. This was received by John Young who built Thistle Court, the oldest remaining buildings in the New Town, at the east end of Thistle Street in 1767. Instead of building as a terrace as envisaged, he built a small courtyard. Doubts were overcome soon enough, and further construction started in the east with St. Andrew Square.
Craig had intended that the view along George Street be terminated by two large churches, situated at the outer edge of each square, on axis with George Street. Whilst the western church on Charlotte Square was built, at St Andrew Square the land behind the proposed church site was owned by Sir Lawrence Dundas. He decided to build a town mansion here and commissioned a design from Sir William Chambers. The resulting Palladian mansion, known as Dundas House, was completed in 1774. In 1825 it was acquired by the Royal Bank of Scotland and today is the registered office of the bank.. The forecourt of the building, with the equestrian monument to John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun, occupies the proposed church site. St. Andrew's Church had to be built on a site on George Street. The lack of a visual termination at the end of this street was remedied in 1823 with William Burn's monument to Henry Dundas.
The first New Town was mainly completed by 1820, with the completion of Charlotte Square. This was built to a design by Robert Adam, and was the only architecturally unified section of the New Town. Adam also produced a design for St. George's Church, although his design was superseded by that of Robert Reid. The building, now known as West Register House, now houses part of the National Archives of Scotland. The north side of Charlotte Square features Bute House, formerly the official residence of the Secretary of State for Scotland and, since the introduction of devolution in Scotland, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland.
A few small sections remained undeveloped at the time. In 1885 an unbuilt section of Queen Street (an open garden until that time), north of St Andrew Square, provided the site for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. To the north-west, north of Charlotte Square, the land was part of the Earl of Moray's estate and a long-running boundary dispute with the Moray Estate. caused delay in development. A section of Glenfinlas Street at the north-west corner of Charlotte Square was not completed until 1990 while the western end of Queen Street, north of Charlotte Square, has never been developed.
Surviving Georgian buildings in Princes Street
The New Town was envisaged as a mainly residential suburb with a number of professional offices of domestic layout. It had few planned retail ground floors, however it did not take long for the commercial potential of the site to be realised. Shops were soon opened on Princes Street, and during the 19th century the majority of the townhouses on that street were replaced with larger commercial buildings. Occasional piecemeal redevelopment continues to this day, though most of Queen Street and Thistle Street, and large sections of George Street, Hanover, Frederick and Castle Streets, are still lined with their original late 18th century buildings.
Greek Revival architecture / VIDEO:What Did Ancient Greece Look Like? (Cinematic Animation)
Edinburgh's New Town / "the Athens of the North".