The Stunning Interior of Inveraray Castle’s State Dining Room

In the 18th century, the 5th Duke of Argyll decided to remodel Inveraray Castle’s rooms, including the State Dining Room. Two French artists were brought in to perform the exquisite painting - all done by hand.
From the Series: American Aristocrat's Guide to Great Estates: Inveraray Castle bitly.com/2XY7Gso

[@papershadows9653]

Visited here back in the late 1980s. Very beautiful. Loved touring Scotland. The Scottish people are wonderful!

[@shadypinesma8909]

Would love to just sit at this table drinking coffee alone, as I took in everything from floor to ceiling, and corner to corner admiring each exquisite masterpiece of such beautiful craftsmanship. 💕

[@BillyN31]

Shady Pines Ma couldn’t of said it better!

[@gracecampbell4556]

I hope you share more from this!

[@vickinoeske1711]

Just WOW! The painting is exquisite.

[@fryler1]

Just beautiful!!

[@purewonka]

I'm surrounded with drywall and IKEA furniture. My ancestors weren't the best about planning for the material wealth of their progeny, but they did leave me with decent enough genes, so there is that. I don't have to spend day's every year polishing Waterford chandeliers, so it could be a matter of perspective. Keeping the house in the family has to be a difficult task as the generations turn over. This house has been monetized - notice the cordoned off area of this room. They sell admission tickets to make ends meet. Imagine the cost of having to put a new roof on this house! I actually do own a bunch of Waterford Crystal drinking glasses and big serving bowls, so maybe I am related to this woman. She may be my Auntie. Put me in the will, please.

[@papershadows9653]

Yes they do have tours of the castle. I was there years ago so can't remember how much it cost. Very beautiful.

[@marypthompson6349]

I thought Margaret Whigham Sweeney Campbell, 11th Duchess of Argyll, Ian Campbell's wife paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to renovate Inveraray in the 50s...? Exquisitely gorgeous home, furnishings and grounds.

[@cdawood1050]

So stunning! And I have never heard about those german ships before - decorative and functional! I'm going to have to get some of those. Great video!

[@maximhollandnederlandthene7640]

Nice furniture and decorations. 🤗

[@virginagobetz4756]

Fabulous!

[@peacerespect98]

One could wonder where those fortune came from?

[@user-di3st1ei2j]

They saved it up recycling Natty Light cans.

[@chrispictures]

Haha, aye Mrs that's right, we all had golden galeons full of peas at tea time. Remember it well.

[@LEGACYFOCUS]

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@MS-wo8bw]

0:42 👀👌

[@susanparsons4285]

My relation worked there in the 1870s. She was a house keeper. Emily Bellamy. She married the groom William Jones.

[@MS-wo8bw]

Did they forget about Torvil?

[@smittah11]

British history at its best....Rule Britannia

[@ericowensnyc]

Lovely room! Mrs. Argyll talks way too fast….calm & steady lady. 🤔

[@SusanDianeHowell]

Moat comes from the fourteenth century Old French word mote, meaning mound, hillock, embankment, castle built on a hill. "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." - Matthew 7:3-12

[@anz1538]

Shush

[@london977]

Alhambra still the best .

[@MS-wo8bw]

Gold ships and lady talk

[@aintnoslice3422]

i'm sure this family worked hard to earn this castle. right? RIGHT?

[@henrylivingstone2800]

Probably…..a long time ago

[@benwesley5260]

Hit up the Biltmore Estates. WAY ahead of its time in terms of technology and home improvement. You’re the Smithsonian, so you already know about them, but it’s much more impressive than this.

[@tamaracarter1836]

I agree that Biltmore Estate is way more “impressive” (at first glance) than this castle in Scotland, but I’m afraid it is not of better “quality”. Inveraray Castle (depicted in this video) is not by any means close to the grandest country houses/ palaces found in the UK (most are centred in England), or of course the rest of Europe (of which there are hundreds). Biltmore Estate is an amazing place “for America” and I think that’s fantastic, but at the end of the day it’s simply a “copy” of an older European style - 16th century French Renaissance château exterior, with interiors inspired by Medieval English castle architecture, 15th-16th century Tudor/ Elizabethan manor houses, as well as others from elsewhere in Europe. When you directly copy a style of architecture (especially from an earlier age/ different country), it instantly becomes a pastiche - not always a bad thing; but extremely hard to get right. This is of course not only limited to the US, Europe also has many examples: one that comes to mind for me being “The Royal Pavillion, Brighton” (built 1787-1823); a brash combination of different Asian architectural styles! Biltmore is similar, though not as tacky, due to the fact it’s a “poorer” quality imitation of an original style. *Note: Biltmore is not of “poor” quality, but it would be impossible for a house like it (built around 1900), to be of the same quality as a house/ palace expertly crafted in the 1500’s-1700’s. However, most architectural styles are in some way inspired by those that came before. Take the Renaissance for instance; the classical architecture was directly inspired by ancient Roman and Greek buildings, but the key difference here is that it was just that an “inspiration” - not a direct “reproduction”. So buildings possessed “elements” of ancient architecture: columns, symmetry, entablature etc - that were then utilised in a different way. For example ‘structurally’ important aspects of Roman architecture e.g columns, were often used as ‘decoration’; like those at Castle Howard (built 1699-1799) - showing “reinterpretation.” These buildings had an architectural style of their own and from this came many other styles, like Baroque (Castle Howard is actually English Baroque). If they had tried to construct buildings “exactly” like their predecessors, ultimately they could never attain the same quality as an original 2000 years ago. I hope this makes sense. I am simply trying to explain the reasoning behind “why” buildings like Biltmore are less impressive than we may suppose; a grand house built 300 years ago will have been harder to build than one built around 100 years ago, therefore shall be of finer quality simply because everything would have been painstakingly handcrafted. Yet this does not mean in any way that they cannot still be beautiful - Biltmore *is* beautiful! I do not write this with any malice, as I love the US, a country that has has incredible architecture in its own right - just felt I had to put my point across.

[@darlingtonaguocha7248]

I would throw dinner parties all day. Just to show off.

[@paulrowe9334]

First

[@benwesley5260]

Hit up the Biltmore Estates. WAY ahead of its time in terms of technology and home improvement. You’re the Smithsonian, so you already know about them, but it’s much more impressive than this.