We were looking for a venue to celebrate our respective 70th and 75th birthdays. As a family of descendants of Surgeon Major William Brydon, the sole survivor of the massacre of Jellalabad, Britain’s first disastrous foray into Afghanistan, we were in the midst of reading two recent books on the subject, John Cunningham’s “The Last Man” and William Dalrymple’s “Return of a King”, we idly ‘googled’ Pitcalzean House, the home to which the Brydons retired after leaving India. To our surprise and delight, it was available for holiday rent and so, an idea was born. The owners, the Fillers could not have been more helpful. Fiona was full of advice, not only regarding the house but also putting us in touch with an excellent chef to cater for some of the meals and a brilliant trio who organised a Ceilidh. For a gathering of a very widespread family (France, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Oman and even England) it was the perfect venue, comfortable ,extensive and with plenty of room and activities inside and out for all ages. Not only the property but the whole region is charming and, for us, full of family history. We cannot recommend it more highly for such a gathering. Bruce & Jenny Lawson (Great, great granddaughter of William Brydon)
Recent Comments