| We are the hours on the pillar you see Marked by the shadows that ever flee And move with the sun in its course on high Noting the time passing swiftly by. from 19c translation of Latin inscription on sundial. |
Drummond Castle Gardens
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It seems that formal gardens were first laid out here in the early 17th century on a flat area below the castle. They came under some influence of the romantic English Landscape Movement at the end of the 18th century. They were then re-designed and terraced from 1818, reverting to a revival of the traditional formal garden style with help from the English lanscape gardener Lewis Kennedy. He had in 1812 worked at Malmaison in France for The Empress Josephine and thus knew about French formal gardening. The garden was laid out like a flag, with St Andrew's cross and an obelisk multiplex sundial at the centre (Photo 1). The sundial had been erected in 1630 as part of the original garden and was made by John Mylne III, Master Mason to Charles I.
This garden was a revival of the formal 17th-century style like those recently restored at Hampton Court in Surrey and Het Loo in Holland. The terracing and statues show Italian influence. The parterres and the north-south axis of the garden, which cuts through the woodland opposite the castle, suggest a formal French influence. Unusually small ornamental trees stand within the parterres, with upright yews and hollies.
The impressive gardens seen today were re-planted during the 1950s, preserving the 1818 layout and features such as the ancient yew hedges and the copper beech trees planted by Queen Victoria in 1842 to commemmorate her visit. The planting was simplified and opened up but the layout still contains mosaics and box parterres forming heraldic compositions. There is an interesting range of mature ornamental trees.
The dramatic sight as the garden comes into sight from the top of the terracing is memorable.