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O chionn ghoirid bha mi ann an dà dhachaigh mhòr stàiteil a tha ceangailte ri chèile. ʼS e fear dhiubh Caisteal Bhrothaigh – Brodie Castle – ann am Moireibh. ʼS e am fear eile Stourhead air crìochan Wiltshire is Somerset ann an Sasainn. Tha iad ceangailte ri chèile le ailtire.

Tha Stourhead brèagha. Chaidh a thogail às ùr tràth anns an ochdamh linn deug. Agus bʼ e an t-ailtire a dhealbhaich e – Cailean Caimbeul. Rugadh e ann an Caisteal Bhrothaigh.

Bhuineadh Cailean do na Caimbeulaich leis an robh Caisteal Challadair. Fhuair e oideachadh ann an lagh ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann. Ach dh’fhàg e an dreuchd aige, agus Alba, airson a bhith na ailtire ann an Sasainn. Bha e a’ leantainn ailtireachd chlasaigeach an Eadailtich, Andreas Palladio.

Sgrìobh an Caimbeulach an leabhar Vitruvius Britannicus mu dheidhinn ailtireachd. Cha do mhair an dreuchd aige mar ailtire fada. Ach bha e cliùmhor nuair a chaochail e ann an seachd ceud deug, fichead ’s a naoi (1729).

Ge-tà, cha robh a bheatha às aonais connspaid. Bha e na Leas-àrd-shuirbhidhear aig a’ Bhòrd Obrach Rìoghail. Rinn e sgrùdadh air staid Thaigh nan Cumantan. Thuirt e gun robh obair mhòr a dhìth air an togalach. Ach chaidh fios a sgaoileadh gun robh e ri foill. Bha e an dùil an cùmhnant fhaighinn airson obair-càraidh air an togalach – nach robh ann an staid cho dona ’s a bha e a’ cumail a-mach!

An latha a bha mi ann an Caisteal Bhrothaigh, bha fèill dhibhe is bhìdh ann. Chaidh mi gu stàile far an robhar a’ reic mil-dheoch, no mead. Bha mi fhìn is a’ bhean agam a’ còmhradh ann an Gàidhlig. Bha sinn air beulaibh an duine a bha a’ reic na dibhe. Agus bhruidhinn e rinn ann an Gàidhlig! 

Tha Crìsdean Mac a’ Mhaoilein stèidhichte ann an Siorrachd Pheairt, le ionad-obrach ann am Blàr Ghobharaidh. Tha e a’ faighinn na meala aige ann an Srath Àrdail. Bidh e a’ grùdadh na dibhe ann an dòigh nàdarrach, stèidhichte air rannsachadh a rinn e air seann dòighean-grùdaidh.

Chòrd e rium coinneachadh ris. Agus bha an deoch aige math cuideachd!

Recently I was in two stately homes that are connected to each other. One is Brodie Castle in Moray. The other is Stourhead on the borders of Wiltshire and Somerset in England. They are connected by an architect.

Stourhead is beautiful. It was built early in the eighteenth century. And the architect who designed it was Colen [sic] Campbell. He was born in Brodie Castle.

Colen belonged to the Campbells who owned Cawdor Castle. He was trained in law in the University of Edinburgh. But he left his career, and Scotland, to be an architect in England. He was a disciple of the classical architecture of the Italian, Andreas Palladio.

Campbell wrote the book Vitruvius Britannicus about architecture. His career as an architect didn’t last long. But he was famous when he died in 1729.

However, his life was not without controversy. He was a Deputy Surveyor-General at the Royal Board of Works. He examined the state of the House of Commons. He said the building required a lot of work. But information was spread that he was involved in deceit. He was hoping to get a contract for repair work on the building – which was not in as bad a state as he was claiming!

The day I was in Brodie Castle, there was a drink and food festival there. I went to a stall where mead was being sold. My wife and I were chatting in Gaelic. We were in front of the man who was selling the drink. And he spoke to us in Gaelic!

Chris Mullin is based in Perthshire, with his work facility in Blairgowrie. He sources his honey in Strathardle. He brews the drink in a natural way, based on research he performed on old ways of brewing.

I enjoyed meeting him. And his drink was good too!