Early 1900’s The Earls of Dalhousie have resided at Brechin Castle.
Siberian Husky
The Siberian Husky was originated by the Chukchi people of north-eastern Asia as an endurance sled dog. When changing conditions forced these semi-nomadic natives to expand their hunting grounds, they responded by developing a unique breed of sled dog, which met their special requirements and upon which their very survival depended.
They needed a sled dog capable of
travelling great distances at a moderate speed carrying a light load in low
temperatures with a minimum expenditure of energy.
Research indicates that the Chukchis maintained the purity of their sled dogs through the 19th century and that these dogs were sole and direct ancestors of the breed known in the United States today as the Siberian Husky.
Shortly after 1900 Americans in Alaska began to hear accounts of this superior sled dog in Siberia. The first team of Siberian Huskies made its appearance in the All Alaska’s sweepstakes Race of 1909.
The same year a large number of them were imported to Alaska by Charles Fox Maule Ramsay and his team, driven by John “Iron Man” Johnson, won the gruelling 400 mile race in 1910. For the next decade Siberian Huskies, particularly those bred and raced by Leonhard Seppala, captured most of the racing tittles in Alaska, where the rugged terrain was ideally suited to the endurance capabilities of the breed.
In 1925 the city of Nome, Alaska was stricken by a diphtheria epidemic and supplies of anti-toxin were urgently needed. Many sled dog handlers including Leonhard Seppala, were called upon to relay the life-saving serum to Nome by dog team. This heroic Serum Run focused attention upon Siberian Huskies, and Seppala brought his dogs to the United States on a personal appearance tour. While here, he was invited to compete in sled dog races in New England, where the sport had already been introduced
The superior racing ability and delightful temperament of Seppala’s Siberian Huskies won the respect and the hearts of sportsmen from Alaska to New England. It was through the efforts of these pioneer fanciers that the breed was established in the United States and that AKC recognition was granted in 1930.
Many Siberian Huskies were assembled and train at Chinook Kennels in New Hampshire for use on the Byrd Antarctic Expeditions.
Dogs of the breed also served valiantly in the Army's Artic Search and Rescue Unit of the Air Transport Command during War 11.
The Siberian Husky is naturally friendly and gentle in temperament he possesses at times an independent nature, and although very alert, in many cases he lacks the aggressive or protective tendencies of a watch dog. He is by nature fastidiously clean and free from the body odours that many dense-coated breeds have.
Although remarkable for his adaptability to all kinds of living conditions, his natural desire to roam makes a measure of control necessary at all times. The understanding owner will find the Siberian Husky an enjoyable companion in country or city. He has endeared himself to dog fanciers everywhere by his versatility, beauty, and amiable disposition
1925- 1950’s Became a Private Preparatory Boarding “Dalhousie” School. Moved to Melville House near Ladybank, Fife in early 1950’s the school’s motto was Efficiunt, Clarum, Studia
Early 1950’s-1972 Castle was uninhabited
1972 Converted into a Hotel
1977 Another chapter in the tempestuous history of Dalhousie Castle has ended with its sale to a London property company for about £100,000. The deal was clinched although a minimum price of £200,000 was put on the property earlier this year.
The castle, which was converted into a hotel several years ago at a cost of £400,000, was only saved from being auctioned in April when private prospective buyers made offers.
It was originally sold on a 125-year lease by the Earl of Dalhousie and converted into hotel by Surrey businessman Alan Grant.
For the last 16 months the castle has been in the hands of the receiver and closed last summer as a hotel Now a bargain has finally been made with Stockgate Ltd London.
Three bedroom houses in this area of Bonnyrigg near Dalhousie Castle now sell for more than £125.000 Year 2002
1994 Present owners leased the Castle and carried out major renovations.
1997 Nearby over 100-year-old Quarry House, purchased and converted into Lodge bedrooms.
1998 New owners of Feuhold (freehold) and lands, privileged to be custodians and to maintain the Castle and lands in good order for future generations.
1999 16th Earl - Governor General of Rhodesia and Nyasoland before their dissolution in the 1960’s, passed away at the age of 93 on l6th July 1999.
2000 New “Orangery” addition to Castle on the South side patio opened. The first extension to the Castle for 130 years! The 250 year old storage vaults converted into a including a State of the Art Hydropool,
The castle, which was converted into a hotel several years ago at a cost of £400,000, was only saved from being auctioned in April when private prospective buyers made offers.
During its turbulent history the castle has been besieged by Henry II has been the scene of a tea party for Queen Victoria and most recently used as a restaurant for medieval banquets.
2004 A fire erupted in the roof of Dalhousie Castle Hotel's luxury spa on the 26th June forcing wedding guests to evacuate.
The 700-year-old building near Bonnyrigg came under threat when a blaze started in the heating and ventilation pipes early on Sunday morning.
Wedding guests were quickly ushered outside amid fears the fire may have dispersed throughout the historic castle, believed by some to be haunted.
It took eight fire engines and more than 40 firelighters two hours to extinguish the flames.
Later, part of the spa roof collapsed and the rest was demolished by fire-fighters to ensure the blaze would not reignite.
The assistant divisional officer with Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, said: “This was a manageable situation but extremely difficult and challenging”
.
"The fire was confined to the roof area and working in such elements is very hard. There were concerns that the fire may have spread to the old timber joists which are part of the castle's structure. "However, the fire-fighters did well and any major problems were avoided."
Guests attending a wedding reception were safely led from the ancient castle grounds and taken to nearby hotels for breakfast.
Damages to the spa room at the luxurious hotel are expected to take several months repair but hotel staff are confident that everything will be back to normal soon.
2005 TOP TOURISM AWARD FOR MIDLOTHIAN HOTEL
Allowing guests to get close to nature has resulted in a prestigious award for the
Dalhousie Castle Hotel, Bonnyrigg. Established last year, the hotel's falconry — with its impressive collection of eagles, owls and falcons — has proved a hit with visitors.
Now Dalhousie has been presented with the Scottish Hotel Innovation Award 2005. The hotel was also second runner-up in the Scottish Wedding Hotel division.
The Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards were presented recently at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. The results were based on 11,000 on-line votes from visitscotland.com and HotelReviewScotland.com, then adjudged by a panel of 10 industry experts.
Dalhousie general manager Chris Ling said: "We are delighted for the whole team. It took us a bit of time to get things into place but, for Midlothian, it's a great indication of how tourism is trying to find imaginative ways of attracting people to our beautiful part of Scotland
Kolkata: The 2.5 km Dalhousie Square area situated in the heart of Kolkata
with its abundance of colonial buildings has been enlisted as one of the hundred
endangered sites by the World Monument Fund (WMF) for years 2004 and 2006.
Since its initial listing as an endangered site in 2004, there is an awareness
among the public and organisations to preserve this colonial heritage.
“The Dalhousie Square Area is essentially one of the finest examples of colonial
heritage city centres worldwide. British colonial heritage worldwide probably is
present in largest numbers in this location,” said G M Kapoor, Convener, Indian
National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
The proposal to include the Dalhousie Square in the heritage list of the WMF was
mooted by ARCH (Action Research in Culture Heritage) and seconded by INTACH.
The WMF has also sanctioned a grant of 75000 dollars for giving a face lift to
the beautiful, but damaged Standard Life Assurance Building in Dalhousie Square.
The building is currently facing ownership litigation.
“I think it is a very good preparatory funding that we have got. It is not a
fund which can really make the entire site look rejuvenated. But it is a very
important funding at a very critical juncture, at a point when we see that the
buildings have just started slipping into decay. And if we don’t pay attention
now, it will be getting into an irreparable state,” said Manish Chakroborty,
ARCH.
Moreover, the funding would be used to organise seminars and workshops to
motivate the owners to preserve city’s historical architecture.
ARCH has also set up a Dalhousie Square Heritage Society comprising of
government departments and corporations which own the buildings in the Square.
The conservationists, architects and Non governmental organisations (NGOs) which
are working behind the development of Kolkata are also its members.
Some of the well maintained buildings are the General Post Office, Writers’
Building and Raj Bhawan (Governor’s Residence).
ARCH has also prepared a graphic simulation of Dalhousie Square to depict the
benefits of the long term protection programme. The programme proposes cleaning
up the Lal Dighi Pond in the centre of the Dalhousie Square with pedestrian
zones, neat pavements with street lights, underground parking and a park over-
ground at the city centre.
ARCH hopes that the enlisting of the Square would fetch it the identity of a
World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. The WMF has also listed three other sites in
India in 2004 - the Wilson Hotel in Mumbai, a “haveli” in Bhuj and a “kila” in
Patiala.
The Dalhousie Square was the bustling hub of English colonial power and trade
during the two centuries that the city served as the capital of British India.
It was named in honor of James, Marquise of Dalhousie, the Governor General of
India from 1847 to 1856
2006 UFO's over Dalhousie Castle
When residents of a small Scottish town spotted strange lights in the skies overhead, they called the police in a panic to report an 'invasion' of UFOs. But officers who followed up the supposed sightings quickly discovered the cause was not Martians but matrimony
The 'saucers' were actually burning Chinese lanterns - launched into the sky to celebrate a marriage in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian. The newlyweds, an actress and her husband, had thought setting light to the wedding decorations so they floated into the air was an idea simply out of this world. Unfortunately, so did residents living near the Dalhousie Castle Hotel, where the reception was being held on Saturday.
The panic began when locals spotted the burning lanterns gently rising into the sky. At first, police thought the frantic calls were a drunken prank. But by the time more than a dozen people had phoned in the 'close encounter', they decided to investigate.
The guests at the wedding, were unaware the lanterns had caused such a fuss and the reception was allowed to continue. Hotel manager Chris Ling admitted that he had received a number of phone calls from people desperate to know what was going on. He said “we were taken by surprise by the interest that the guests' celebrations caused.
'The hotel is a very romantic place and the Chinese lanterns floating up to the sky were really special. It was a beautiful way to end a fantastic day. We did receive quite a few calls from people and I suppose it was a strange thing to see but we knew they were not UFOs.”
A spokesman for, Lothian and Borders Police said: 'We had quite number of calls reporting what; they thought may be UFOs.
'We were a bit excited but after contacting the Dalhousie Castle Hotel we discovered the red lights in the sky were down to an unusual display at a wedding reception.
March 2007 Scotland’s £1.6m win in the paper chase for the treasure of Dalhousie
A treasure trove of historical documents stretching back nearly 900 years has been secured for Scotland for £1.6million.
The Dalhousie Papers include letters from the first U.S. president, George Washington, pioneering Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale and documents on the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
Also among them is the earliest Scottish charter still in the country, part of the monastic charters for Holyrood, made in around 1127 by King David I.
The collection is owned by the Dalhousie family, which owns a large estate in Angus, and its thousands of letters, manuscripts and files is currently on long term loan to the National Archives of Scotland.
On Friday 9th March it was announced that the documents had been bought for the nation in a joint deal by the Scottish Executive and National Heritage Memorial Fund.Officials stepped in after fears the collection may have been split up, with many items going abroad.
Dr Alan Borthwick, NAS head of medieval records section, said the papers contained some national treasures.
He said: “This is one of the best collections of private papers that we have. The papers contain many items of international as well as Scottish interest, and interest in the contents would have come from across the world had we not been able to hold on to them.
But we have secured the collection for the future now, which is brilliant news.”
The papers are housed in hundreds of specially-stored boxes. Among them is a manuscript of Scotichronicon, a 15th-century history of Scotland considered unique for its illuminated initial letters.
There is also a manuscript history of Norway - Historia Norvegiae - which was copied in Scotland in 1510 and contains the earliest surviving account of the Norse settlement of Orkney.
The manuscript reports a myth that the Picts built towns morning and evening but hid in underground chambers at midday.
Meanwhile, the papers of General John Forbes, who fought in the North American Seven Years War (1756-63), include seven letters from George Washington - while the papers of Fox Maule as Secretary of War during the Crimean War include correspondence from Florence Nightingale.
Dr Borthwick said that the safe-guarding of the collection meant much of the contents could now be digitised and posted online.
The Scottish Executive and the National Heritage Memorial Fund are both contributing £800,000 towards the total cost of securing the papers. Culture minister Patricia Ferguson said the national ownership of the collection would enhance Scotland's reputation around the world. She said “The Dalhousie papers are of outstanding importance to the history of this country, covering nearly 900 years of Scottish history I'm also pleased that the National Archives of Scotland will be using the latest digital technology to open this collection to an ever-widening public , both at home and abroad.”
George MacKenzie, Keeper of the Records of Scotland, added “We are grateful that the Dalhousie family offered us the first chance to acquire the collection when they decided to sell it.
“The Dalhousie papers have been extensively used by readers- since they were first loaned to us and now that they have been acquired for the nation, we will be working to make them even more widely available.
Other highlights of the collection include papers on the ill fated Darien expedition of the 1690’s which virtually bankrupted Scotland and led indirectly to the Act of Union in 1707.
Stephen Johnson head of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: `This archive contains a wealth of information, not only giving an insight into Scotland’s history, but also the history of the British Empire and wider Commonwealth.
`We're delighted that we've been able to join forces to make sure this collection remains available for future generations to learn from' and enjoy.'
“To all, to each a fair good-night, and pleasing dreams, and slumbers light!”
