Victorian Silver Double-Sided Castle-Top Card Case Abbotsford House & St Georges Gate Windsor

A very nice quality early Victorian silver double-sided 'Castle-Top' Card Case, of shaped rectangular form with hinged lid. The front of the case depicts a scene of Windsor Castle and shows the Round Tower on the left and the top of St George's Chapel can just be seen above the St. George's Gate entrance with the towers of the south wing of the Upper Ward on the right. The obverse shows an unusual view of Abbotsford House seen from the East Court. To the centre of the scene, in front of the garden wall, a peacock sits on a garden roller. Both scenes, and the deep sides of the case are die-stamped and chased with foliate scroll decoration including flower heads and wild strawberries.

By Joseph Willmore, Birmingham 1841.

Windsor Castle was the principal residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Today, it continues to be one of the official homes of Queen Elizabeth II and is the largest inhabited castle in the world. The majority of English monarchs have lived in the castle at some stage and dating back to William the Conqueror (King between 1066 and 1087), is the oldest castle in continuous occupation in the world.

Abbotsford is the house built and lived in by Sir Walter Scott, probably the most well known Scottish author, penning such timeless works as Ivanhoe, Lady of the Lake, Kenilworth, Rob Roy, Waverley and The Heart of Midlothian. He was one of the most popular novelists and poets of the 19th Century. In 1811 Sir Walter bought the property which was to become Abbotsford, set in the heart of the Scottish Borders, on the banks of the River Tweed. The building of Abbotsford took six years, and was completed in 1824. The house was opened to the public in 1833, five months after Sir Walter's death, and has been enjoyed by visitors ever since.

£795.00