Edzell Castle and its Mystical Garden, Aberdeenshire 4 - The Garden
The garden is a rectangular enclosure some 52 metres (170 ft) north to south, and 43.5 metres (143 ft) east to west, surrounded by a 3.6 metres (12 ft) high wall. The north wall is part of the castle courtyard, but the remaining three are intricately decorated. The walls are divided by pilasters (now removed) into regular sections, or compartments, each 3 metres (9.8 ft) across. Each compartment has a niche above, possibly once containing statues. Those on the east wall have semi-circular pediments carved with scrolls, and with the national symbols of thistle, fleur-de-lis, shamrock and rose, recalling the Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland, under James VI in 1603. The pediments on the south wall are square, while there are no niches on the west wall, indicating that work may have prematurely come to a halt on Sir David's death. Below the niches, the compartments are of alternating design. Three sets of seven carved panels occupy every other compartment. Between them, the walls are decorated with a representation of the Lindsay coat of arms, with eleven recesses in the form of a fess chequy, or chequered band, surmounted by three seven-pointed stars, taken from the Stirling of Glenesk arms. Where the East wall meets the South wall, at the top corner in the photograph, is a summer house.
The plantings in the garden form an octagon so considering the origins of Freemasonry some interesting speculations on its design can be made. The outer hedge forms a square with an eight pointed star within (the octagon) and within that a bush on a raised circle of lawn becomes an inner circle. This is the Sufi/Islamic motif for the perfected man.
Edzell Castle and its Mystical Garden, Aberdeenshire 4 - The Garden
The garden is a rectangular enclosure some 52 metres (170 ft) north to south, and 43.5 metres (143 ft) east to west, surrounded by a 3.6 metres (12 ft) high wall. The north wall is part of the castle courtyard, but the remaining three are intricately decorated. The walls are divided by pilasters (now removed) into regular sections, or compartments, each 3 metres (9.8 ft) across. Each compartment has a niche above, possibly once containing statues. Those on the east wall have semi-circular pediments carved with scrolls, and with the national symbols of thistle, fleur-de-lis, shamrock and rose, recalling the Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland, under James VI in 1603. The pediments on the south wall are square, while there are no niches on the west wall, indicating that work may have prematurely come to a halt on Sir David's death. Below the niches, the compartments are of alternating design. Three sets of seven carved panels occupy every other compartment. Between them, the walls are decorated with a representation of the Lindsay coat of arms, with eleven recesses in the form of a fess chequy, or chequered band, surmounted by three seven-pointed stars, taken from the Stirling of Glenesk arms. Where the East wall meets the South wall, at the top corner in the photograph, is a summer house.
The plantings in the garden form an octagon so considering the origins of Freemasonry some interesting speculations on its design can be made. The outer hedge forms a square with an eight pointed star within (the octagon) and within that a bush on a raised circle of lawn becomes an inner circle. This is the Sufi/Islamic motif for the perfected man.