Wednesday 6th October 1819
Wednesday Oct 6th At ½ past ten we left Dunkeld & continued the main road to Blair for about 2 miles when we turned through into the plantations of the Duke the road laid quite at the tops of the mountains where we had fine views of the surrounding country & passed several pretty little Locks a few miles beyond we entered a most beautiful vale with a distant view of the pass of Killyrankie through which we passed the scenery here is quite sublime with woodland on each side a dell of immense depth covered with trees at the bottom of which dashes the river Garry is inexpressibly fine here we left our carriage & proceeded with the guide whom we had taken from Dunkeld to the Fall of the Tummel we crossed the Garry bridge in a most romantic situation & after a wretched long walk reached the fall it is very pretty the situation very beautiful but it did not at all recom-
pence me for my long walk 3 miles further brought us to Blair having passed the fall of the Garry very insignificant the Inn at Blair is comfortable
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Blair Atholl is built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains.
circa 1774: View near Blair. Engraving by P. Mazell after Paul Sandby. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEViewNearBlair19.jpg
Its most famous feature is Blair Castle, one of Scotland's premier stately homes, and the last castle in the British Isles to be besieged, in 1746 during the last Jacobite rising.
Blair Castle, Blair Athol , Scotland. Artist and Engraver G Cumming. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/19637
Blair Castle . Dating back to the 13th century, Blair castle is the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. This view is taken from the A9 looking north to the castle and the hills north of Blair Atholl © Copyright Val Vannet and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/40697
The Castle was the traditional home of the Earls (later Marquesses, now Dukes) of Atholl. The Duke of Atholl is the only person in the United Kingdom allowed to raise a private army, known as the Atholl Highlanders.. The majority of the Castle is 16th century in date, though much altered. After the siege the upper storey and battlements of the ancient Castle were removed to render it indefensible. A medieval appearance becoming fashionable again during the 19th century, the Castle, which had become known as Atholl House, was raised in height and adorned with battlements once more.
2007: Blair Atholl Castle. Picture taken Tyler Rivard. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License. (CC BY-SA 2.5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blairathollcastle.png
The many alterations in the fabric are largely concealed by the white harling (roughcast) on the walls. The collections of furniture, paintings, historical relics, weapons, embroidery, china, Highland artefacts and hunting trophies preserved in the Castle are among the finest in Scotland, as is the plasterwork and other décor of the principal rooms. Thirty-two rooms are open to the public, more than in any comparable stately home. The Castle sits in extensive grounds, which the Dukes of Atholl have altered and added to over several centuries. Notable among the features are Diana's Grove and the Hercules Garden, both laid out in the first half of the 18th century, and rare examples of their period. Both are adorned with lead reproductions of Classical statues. The Dukes of Atholl were early and enthusiastic tree planters, and Diana's Grove contains some of the tallest trees in Great Britain. The Hercules Garden, recently restored, is a rare survival of a walled formal garden with an artificial lake and islands, surrounded by plantations of fruit trees. There are several other follies, bridges etc. of various periods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_Atholl
Pass of Killiecrankie is a gorge lying between Ben Vrackie and Tenandry Hill on the River Garry.
circa 1840: Killiecrankie. Engraving by W. Forrest after D.O. Hill. Published by A. Fullarton & Co. London & Edinburgh. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEKilliecrankie12.jpg
The river-gorge traverses the pass over the course of a mile, with the village of Killiecrankie at the north end.
2003: Pass of Killiecrankie by Vinckie, the copyright holder of this work, and published it under the (CC BY-SA 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pitlochry_Pass_of_Killiecrankie.JPG?uselang=en-gb
Much of the area is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. About a mile toward the village the Battle of Killiecrankie took place in 1689. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_of_Killiecrankie
River Garry is a major tributary of the River Tummel, itself a tributary of the River Tay.
River Garry , Looking south from the bridge over the River Garry near the Linn of Tummel. © Copyright Graeme Smith and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2377583
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Garry,_Perthshire
The Hydro Electric scheme draws water from Loch Garry further north leaving a lower water level, as shown in the exposed river bed above. After very heavy rain the river returns to its former state, which is how Lucy would have viewed it. (https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/107725)
Linn of Tummel is a woodland property at the confluence of the rivers Garry and Tummel, near Pitlochry. It is owned and maintained by the National Trust for Scotland and is adjacent to the Trust's property at Killiecrankie.
2008: Linn of Tummel, Perthshire. Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/the-majestic-fool/2818993154/ Author themajesticfool. This file is licensed under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Linn_of_Tummel.jpg
The name Linn of Tummel comes from the Scots Gaelic and means "pool of tumbling stream". The River Tummel used to drop down over a fall to meet the River Garry; however, in 1950 the fall ceased when a new hydro-electric plant raised the level of both rivers and created Loch Faskally. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linn_of_Tummel
Garry bridge: Lucy’s sketch, below, is inscribed: “Ben y Gloe from the Garry Bridge in Pass of Killykrankie”. She makes no mention of “Ben y Gloe” (now found on maps as “Beinn a’ Ghlò”) in her diary. Wikipedia describes it as “a Scottish mountain situated roughly 10 km north east of Blair Atholl in the Forest of Atholl in between Glen Tilt and Glen Loch, in Cairngorms National Park. It is a huge, complex hill with many ridges, summits and corries, covering approximately 40 km² with three Munros.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beinn_a'_Ghl%C3%B2
Garry bridge is listed by Canmore at https://canmore.org.uk/site/166707/killiecrankie-river-garry-garry-bridge . The photograph below is from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery Collection. However an entry and photograph at https://www.flickr.com/photos/doffcocker/13474700523 notes that it was built in 1822 and replaced by a new bridge in 1932. If that is the case it would not be the bridge Lucy crossed in 1819.
The Old Bridge of Garry, Killiecrankie photograph by George Washington Wilson in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery Collection, Accession number:PGP 71.9 (CC-BY-NC). https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/17152/old-bridge-garry-killiecrankie
There is quite a contrast between the gentle, rounded lines of the Old Garry Bridge, above, and the totally functional New Garry Bridge, constructed of steel and concrete, below.
River Garry . Stony bed of the River Garry with the steel and concrete Garry Bridge in the background. © Copyright Gordon Hatton and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1239359
Fall of Tummel: Lucy enjoyed the Fall, but did not think it worth the effort…the fall it is very pretty the situation very beautiful but it did not at all recompence me for my long walk.
Nevertheless she found the time to sketch it, notating it as “The Fall of the Tumnel”
Linn of Tummel . © Copyright Euan Nelson and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/835865
She would be more disappointed today as it is dependent on the release of water at the hydroelectric station above, as explained in the subscript to the photograph, above: “Though still a spectacular waterfall today, the water flow was tempered somewhat with the completion of the hydro-electric scheme in the Tummel area in 1950. The volume of water flowing down the River Tummel was reduced when the majority of the flow was diverted through a pipe connecting the eastern end of Loch Tummel with the Clunie Power Station, and with the construction of the artificial Loch Faskally immediately below the Falls, the water level at this point rose. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/835865
Inn at Blair Not known. The Atholl Arms was next to the railway station and was probably built later https://www.athollarmshotel.co.uk/
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?