Saturday 9th October 1819
Saturday Oct 9th After breakfast we inspected Ld Breadalpanes Castle in an unfinished state, but it
is a very fine building & the interior furnished in a most costly & elegant style the staircase & drawing rooms are particularly beautiful the former resembling Ld Lowthers; the grounds are extremely romantic & extensive I think they almost rival those at Dunkeld & the beautiful views of Loch Tay & the same view now & then disclosed for the finest trees possible had a beautiful effect; we then went 2 miles to the falls of Ancharn the finest of them is seen from the window of a very pretty rustic hermitage belonging to Ld Brebne & much resembling the lower fall of Foyers; after taking some refreshment we proceeded to Killen 16 miles the road winds close to Loch Tay Killin is situated at the end of the loch the Inn is good
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Taymouth Castle: Lucy visited whilst the new Castle was still in an unfinished state but she certainly approved of the building. It stands on the site of the much older Balloch Castle, which was built in 1552, as the seat of the Campbell clan. In the early 19th century, Balloch Castle was demolished by the Campbells of Breadalbane, so that the new, much larger castle could be rebuilt on the site.
circa 1870: Loch Tay and Taymouth Castle from "Views of the Scottish Lakes". Artist & Engraver W Banks. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/9394
2003: Taymouth Castle, Kenmore, Scotland. Photo taken by Dudesleeper. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Dudesleeper at English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taymouth_Castle.jpg
Built in a neo-Gothic style and on a lavish scale, Taymouth Castle is regarded as the most important Scottish castle in private ownership. Its public rooms are outstanding examples of the workmanship of the finest craftsmen of the 19th century. No expense was spared on the castle's interior, which was decorated with extravagant carvings, plasterwork and murals. Panels of medieval stained glass and Renaissance woodwork were incorporated into the scheme. Much of this decor still survives. Lucy was very impressed with the interior, furnished in a most costly & elegant style. The staircase & drawing rooms are particularly beautiful . Francis Bernasconi, acknowledged as the greatest designer of fine plasterwork of the era, created the magnificent central staircase, that connects all four storeys of the central tower. Many of the ceilings were painted by Cornelius Dixon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taymouth_Castle#John_Campbell,_1st_Marquess_of_Breadalbane_(1782_%E2%80%93_1834
Falls of Acharn: Tradition says that the odd octagonal building and viewing platform above the waterfall at Acharn was built by a hermit, hence its popular name of The Hermitage.
Falls of Acharn A little mist adding to the impression of the falls, seen from the viewpoint at the grotto or 'Hermit's Cave', an 18th century folly. © Copyright Jim Barton and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4873726
View from the grotto, Falls of Acharn . The man-made 'cave' is a folly built by John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane in the 1760s. A short dark passage leads to this balcony giving a fine view of the falls. (Source: Rob Roy Way guide, Jacquetta Megarry, Rucksack Readers). © Copyright Jim Barton and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4873716
However, the odd building is a folly, erected around 1790 and reached by a long, dark tunnel of stone, 20 metres in length. It is similar in style to Ossian's Hall, at The Hermitage north of Dunkeld, and built for the same purpose; to create a sense of drama and mystery, guiding visitors through darkness before emerging into the light for a sudden view of the waterfall across the gorge. https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=1159
Killin is situated at the western head of Loch Tay.
2008 : Killin and Loch Tay by James@hopgrove at English Wikipedia, the copyright holder of this work, published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Killin_Loch_Tay.jpg
The west end of the village is magnificently sited around the scenic Falls of Dochart, the main street leading down towards the Loch at the confluence of the rivers Dochart and Lochay.
Falls of Dochart at Killin . After a night of torrential rain, the River Dochart in full spate. Looking across the river to the houses on Gray Street. The river runs through the small town of Killin, flowing around the Islands of Inchbuie (known as the traditional and ancient burial place of Clan Macnab) before joining the River Lochay as they both empty into Loch Tay. © Copyright I Love Colour and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4700332
The falls are crossed by a narrow, multi-arched stone bridge carrying the main road into Killin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killin
Killin Hotel stands on the banks of the River Lochay, occupying the site of the old "Streethouse Inn", a 17th Century refreshment stop for the Aberfeldy to Tyndrum coach.
Killin Hotel . The Killin Hotel stands on the banks of the River Lochay, occupying the site of the old "Streethouse Inn", a 17th Century refreshment stop for the Aberfeldy to Tyndrum coach. © Copyright Andrew Wood and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Killin_Loch_Tay.jpg
We cannot be sure if this was where Lucy stayed. As a coaching refreshment stop the Streethouse Inn would probably had rooms of sufficient quality to gain Lucy’s approval, the Inn is good , but a newly built Killin Inn on the same site is more likely to have had good facilities.
Can you help us?
Hotel? When was the Killin Hotel built? Were there any other hotels there in 1819?
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?