In the south east corner of the house is one of the loviest rooms in the castle.The morning room was at the heart of life at Drumlanrig until the death of Jane, Duchess of Buccleuch. It was decorated after the war with the walls painted in a sort of non-colour, lichen green or slub, all the better to show off the pink taffeta worn by Jane, Countess of Dalkeith in her portrait that hangs above the fireplace. Opposite her hangs another female member of the family, Queen Henrietta Maria (grandmother of the Duke of Monmouth, first Duke of Buccleuch from whom the family descends in an unbroken line) who wore a white satin dress with coral bows for her portrait.The curtains are a lovely chintz and the sofas look comfy. It helps of course that the room is also furnished with a small Queen Anne gilt wood mirror and a pair of really smart gilded William and Mary corner brackets. The plaster ceiling depicting the ubiquitous Douglas hearts and was done in the 1840's. A secret door connects to the equally lovely parlour next door. Drumlanrig Castle is no longer occupied, the present duke and his family prefer to live elsewhere on the estate.
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Jane, Countess of Dalkeith,1957
by John Merton |
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