From Queen Victoria’s Secret Howff to a lost village and the inn where John Brown drank to his little known rival John Grant, the story of Braemar, Lochnagar, Crathie and Balmoral ranges far and wide. We also learn about the life of the aristocracy of the day, of a time when every laird had his own ’stuffer’ (taxidermist) and of the hunting expeditions which ranged across the great estates.
With its wild hinterland, deer forests and mountains, Royal Deeside has many secret nooks and crannies unknown to the casual visitor but much frequented by royalty and local characters. It is these people and places that Robert Smith brings vividly to life. But above all the book is the story of Queen Victoria, who made Deeside famous. His portrait of her is not of the stiff formal figure so often depicted, but a much more intimate portrayal of a queen relaxing among people she loved in a land she loved.
Less well known than the royal connection is the importance of the area to the photographer George Washington Wilson and his successor, Robert Milne. In addition, Robert Smith tells the story of the local people and describes their lore and traditions. As we begin the new century the stories of the great days of Royal Deeside are on the very edge of living memory. There could no more fitting record of all this than this book.
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