Airthrey Castle

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Airthrey, an estate, with a mansion and with mineral wells, in Logie parish, Stirlingshire. The estate adjoins Clackmannan and Perth shires, was sold about 1796 by Robert Haldane, the founder of Scottish Congregationalism, to Gen. Sir Rt. Abercromby, brother of Sir Ralph, the hero of Aboukir Bay, and now belongs to Geo. Ralph Campbell Abercromby, fourth Baron Abercromby (b. 1838: suc. 1852). The mansion stands 1½ mile ESE of Bridge of Allan, was built in 1791 from a design by the architect Adam, is a castellated structure of moderate size, and has a park of remarkable beauty, commanding superb views of the Ochils and of the plain beneath them. Two standing stones are in the park, without inscription, emblem, or any historical identification, yet popularly believed to be commemorative of the total defeat of the Picts by the Scots in 839. The mineral wells are on the brow of an ascent from the Bridge of Allan, are approached thence by tasteful walks, have a neat bath-house, with shock, shower, plunge, and douche baths: and, though four in number, yield only two waters, called the weak and the strong water. The waters act in the way of saline aperient: and, for general medicinal effect against various chronic diseases, they have long competed in fame with the waters of the most celebrated spas in Britain. One pint of the weak water, according to the analyses of Dr Thomson, contains 37.45 grains of common salt, 34.32 of muriate of lime, and 1.19 of sulphate of lime: and one pint of the strong water contains 47.354 grains of common salt, 38.461 of muriate of lime, 4.715 of sulphate of lime, and 0.450 of muriate of magnesia.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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