J.M.W.Turner:

Borthwick Castle
1818, watercolour on white wove paper, 16.2 x 24.3 cm
Gift in Memory of Dr. and Mrs. Hugo O. Pantzer by their children 72.182

        watercolour landscapes were Turner's first and, perhaps, foremost achievement, and they provided a steady income throughout his 60-year career. Turner produced more than 1,500 finished watercolours, totally independent of his work in oils. Nearly half of these were commissioned views, destined to be engraved in the vast array of illustrated books aimed at the English armchair traveler or antiquarian. Borthwick Castle was commissioned in 1818 for Sir Walter Scott's Provincial Antiquities and Picturesque Scenery of Scotland and engraved the following year. Then at the peak of his powers and popularity, Turner participated in the enterprise by the publisher's demand over Scott's objections. Turner's genius in this artistic genre was his ability to take a rough pencil sketch made on the spot and in his London studio work it into a total environment in watercolour. Turner energizes his environment with the powers of nature. Borthwick Castle is rendered as an abiding presence in a landscape that is as ancient as time, but transitory as a gust of wind preceding a storm.

Tranquillity, history and service - the perfect getaway yet only 13 miles from Edinburgh Airport. For nearly 600 years Borthwick Castle has overlooked the gently rolling hills on the edge of the romantic Scottish Borders. One can easily imagine that Mary Queen of Scots looked from her bedchamber window onto a very similar landscape in the 16th Century. The Castle's long and illustrious history has romance and drama and the walls still bear the battle-scars of Cromwell's cannon. Nowadays, with central heating and en-suite bathrooms, the castle retains a medieval ambience which charms even the most seasoned travellers. Why not visit this lovely castle's website Borthwick Castle and castle history