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A new exhibition at Blair Castle is offering members of the public the opportunity to marvel at an impressive selection of professionally designed costumes from some of the country’s most popular TV programmes & cinematic productions.

A gown worn by the actress, Jenna Coleman, for the Coronation Sequence in the TV series’ “Victoria”, a programme about the early rule of Queen Victoria (with some scenes shot at Blair Castle), is on display at “A Costume Drama at Blair Castle”, alongside a saffron yellow silk & wool pelisse dress worn by Anya Taylor-Joy in the 2020 film “Emma”. Outfits from “Downton Abbey” include a blue dress worn by Lady Sybil Crawley in Series 1, alongside a Norfolk jacket worn by her father Lord Grantham.

The wedding dress of Kiera Knightly’s character, the Duchess of Devonshire, from the 2008 film, “The Duchess”, is also on display, along with one of the iconic white ladies-in- waiting dresses worn in the Bridgerton spin off, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.”

What sets this exhibition apart from other similar exhibitions, which often link up with theatrical costume designers to display costumes from well-known productions, is that each outfit on display here is carefully compared and contrasted with actual clothes worn throughout the centuries, by members of the Murray family whose ancestral seat is Blair Castle.

These rare pieces of clothing include several dresses worn by Anne, Duchess of Atholl in 1844, Lady Charlotte, daughter of the 2nd Duke of Atholl, and Duchess Kitty, who became Scotland’s first ever female MP. Painstakingly curated by Blair Castle archivist, Keren Guthrie, who has created the exhibition to explore how costume designers draw inspiration from real historical dress, Keren is also now allowing the public access to some never before seen outfits created for members of the Murray family for an ambitious re-enactment of a Medieval Tournament, known as The Eglinton Tournament, which took place in 1839 at the Castle.

These Eglinton outfits bring the total number of outfits displayed across the top two floors of the Castle, to seventeen.

The Exhibition will open to the public on Wednesday 1st April, the day the Castle, and its grounds, opens for the new spring/summer 2026 season.

Commenting on “A Costume Drama at Blair Castle”, Keren Guthrie said: “We are thrilled to present our latest exhibition here at the Castle, which we are confident will attract many visitors, fascinated not only the opportunity to get up close and personal with some incredible outfits film & television, but also who are interested in the rich history & heritage of Blair Castle itself, and the people who used to live and work here.”

“By placing the outfits of people who really lived directly beside those created for a fictional purpose, visitors are invited to compare characters seen on screen with what our aristocracy used to wear,” continued Keren. “We want to show how historical dress informed storytelling on screen, connecting authentic garments with character, narrative and place. We think this is one of the most engaging exhibitions yet, and it's also hugely exciting to display the outfits from The Eglinton Tournament.”

Keren explained that the 19th Century upper classes were fascinated with the Middle Ages.

“It was decided to hold a revival of a medieval joust at Blair Castle, to which thousands of spectators would come,” she said. “With all the spectacle of ceremony, costume and display, this really was one of the most ambitions pageants of its time.”

Special costumes were created for Lord Glenlyon, and his entourage, with rare surviving examples now on display.

“We have a tartan style doublet and breeches which were worn by the Lord at the fancy dress ball on the evening of the Tournament,” said Keren. “Combining medieval reference with 19th century taste, they’re made from navy silk and velvet, woven with satin to create a tartan effect. We’re also very proud to be showing a Tudor style, richly patterned brocade bodice, woven with gold thread and trimmed with velvet ribbon. And we have a young page’s costume, made from blue silk, trimmed with gold brocade ribbon, cut glass gems and ruched silk detailing. This elaborate creation borders on the theatrical for what is a child’s role in a pageant.”

“We can clearly see that the family really pulled out all the stops for this tournament. It’s a lavish display of imaginative storytelling, with historical styles shaping identity and spectacle. It must have been truly wonderful to see everybody in these incredible costumes, especially with the Knights on horseback,” she added.

Keren finished by saying: “Each grouping of costumes within “A Costume Drama at Blair Castle”, is accompanied by an explanatory information board which sets out the background to all clothing, gives the names of the designers, and explains how and why I have matched the costumes with the actual archived clothes.”

“We hope you enjoy the exhibition. All exhibitions here are special, and are very much part of our quest to keep history alive at Blair Castle.”

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