The history of Fort George - a Georgian Fort in the Highlands

Earlier in the year we went on a day of fun with Ken's brother David, and his sister Jean and her family - our destination was Fort George.  It was built in the 1700's after the battle of Culloden and is still in use by the British army.  It's a huge place and everything about it is big, the walls, the doors, the buildings.

A lot of the fort is set up as a museum so that you can see how it has been used through the centuries by the different battalions that have been based there.

These beds were tiny and looked very uncomfortable, plus the room they were in was freezing and it's not even the middle of winter.  There was just a small fire at one end of the room for heat, and the soldiers only got one blanket each, so they slept in their full uniforms.

Looking down through the site.

In the middle of the site is the museum which is really fascinating.  I loved the door knocker as you entered the building.

 All through the museum are items from various stages of history and one of the things you see a lot is the stacked drums - this comes from past wars when soldiers didn't have an alter so stacked their drums to form one.  If you've ever watched the service of remembrance at the Albert Hall they always stack the drums at the end of the evening.

The decorated horn below is one of many snuff mulls that you see throughout the museum - mull comes from a Scottish word for mill.  Lots of variations on the horn decorated, but an even fancier one which you will see in a moment.

Beautiful glass panel for the Queen's own Highlanders.

In the museum they have a dressing up area, so here is my adorable nephew Fergus dressed in both old and modern military dress.

The formal dining room set up for an officer's meal. Lots of really lovely silverware and candelabra.

Here is the Snuff Mull that I alluded to earlier. It's a rams head on wheels!! (I'll let you digest that for a moment). It would have been rolled across the table for people to use the snuff - it's very ornate with silver adornments (but it's still a ram's head).

I liked how in the middle of a working battalions residence there is this perfect bit of British normality - red phone boxes and a post box.

This is the regimental chapel which is still very much in use.

Beautiful bench in the chapel - very moving scene.

Here are a few more shots taken inside the chapel.

On top of the very thick walls you can see the cannons that would have been used in the early days of the fort.

Here I go again, managing to squeeze a graveyard into a blog where you thought you would be safe. This is the view of the dog cemetery at Fort George where regimental mascots and officers dogs are buried. Unfortunately we couldn't go through to see it the day we were there so will have to go back. I always love seeing graveyards for animals as it shows that their humans really loved and respected them.

The two of us.

Our nephews Fergus and Murray took great joy in climbing the walls and sliding down the embankments. Teenage boys - totally fearless.

Here's a picture of the siblings. Left to right; David, Jean, and Ken.

A lovely day out with family. Until next time, be good, stay safe, and think of five things that you're grateful for today.

Pamela & Ken
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