Traquair House facts for kids
Traquair House is a special place in Scotland, about 7 miles southeast of Peebles. People say it's the oldest house in Scotland where people have lived all the time, without stopping. Even though it looks a bit like a castle, it's actually a strong, fortified mansion. Its design might have even inspired a later Scottish building style called Scottish Baronial. The estate also has its own famous Traquair Brewery.
Contents
Discovering Traquair's Past
Traquair House stands where Scottish kings used to have a hunting lodge way back in the 1100s. However, the parts of the building you see today are from the 1400s or later. King Alexander I was one of the first Scottish kings to visit and hunt here. Back then, it was a remote "castle" surrounded by thick forests.
After King Alexander III died in 1286, the area near the border with England became dangerous. Traquair became an important part of the defense system. It helped protect the Tweed Valley from English attacks.
Who Owned Traquair?
For the next 200 years, Traquair changed hands many times. Sometimes the English controlled it, and sometimes the Scottish kings did. In the 1460s, King James III gave the estate to Dr. William Rogers, a famous musician he liked a lot.
In 1478, Dr. Rogers sold the land to the Earl of Buchan. The Earl then gave the estate to his son, James Stuart, in 1491. James Stuart became the first Laird (a Scottish lord) of Traquair. He was sadly killed in a big battle called the Battle of Flodden.
Later, King James VI visited Traquair on March 9, 1602. Traquair remained the home of the Earls of Traquair for the next 400 years. In 1875, the house passed to a cousin, Henry Constable Maxwell, who was related through the female side of the family.
Exploring Traquair House
Traquair House has 50 rooms! Many of these rooms are open for visitors to see.
- The Drawing Room: Here you can see old family portraits and photos of the people who live there now.
- The Dressing Room: This room shows what life was like in the past.
- The Museum Room: Look for a very old painting on the wall from 1530. It's one of the oldest paintings in a non-religious building in Scotland! You can also see old documents with royal seals and signatures from Scottish Kings.
- The King's Room: Mary, Queen of Scots stayed in this room in 1566. It holds some of her personal items, like her rosary (a string of beads used for prayer), a crucifix, her purse, a silk quilt, and letters she signed. These items are linked to the Jacobites, who supported the Stuart royal family.
- The Still Room: This is where breakfast is served. It's decorated with beautiful 18th-century porcelain.
- The Dining Room: This room was one of the last parts added to the house in the late 1600s.
There is also a Roman Catholic chapel built in 1829. This was after a time when Catholics were given more freedom in Britain. The library, from the 1700s, has over 3,000 books! Even though some changes were made before the 1600s, Traquair hasn't changed much in its look since then.
The Bear Gates Story
The large Bear Gates at the main entrance were put in by the fifth Earl, Charles Stuart, in 1738. A famous story says that when Charles Edward Stuart (also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie) passed through them in 1745, the Earl closed them. He vowed they would not be opened again until a Stuart king returned to the throne. They remain closed to this day!
Traquair on Film
The horror movie Tam-Lin was filmed at Traquair House in 1970. It starred famous actors like Ava Gardner, Joanna Lumley, Stephanie Beecham, and Ian McShane.
Traquair House Brewery
_001.JPG)
The Traquair House Brewery started in 1965. Peter Maxwell Stuart used old brewing equipment from the 1700s that had been used to make beer for the house. The ale is fermented (a process that turns sugar into alcohol) in original oak tuns, some of which are more than 200 years old! The brewery makes different kinds of beer, but the two main ones are Jacobite Ale and House Ale.
People have been brewing ale at Traquair since the time of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1739, a large copper pot that could hold 200 gallons was installed in the brew house, which is located under the chapel.
The Traquair Maze
The maze at Traquair was designed by John Schofield. It was first planted with Leyland cypress trees. However, a very cold winter in 1983 caused most of those trees to die. So, the maze was replanted with stronger beech trees.
Images for kids
-
Traquair House is a very old and historic home in Scotland.
-
Traquair House looked like this in 1814.
-
Traquair House Ale is one of the beers made at the brewery.
-
The maze at Traquair House is a fun challenge.
