Windsor Castle & Abbotsford House Card Case

 An excellent double sided Victorian card case that is unusual for its' small size. The two scenes depicted are in good crisp condition and are typical of the quality one would expect from Nathaniel Mills. The front of the case depicts Windsor Castle and has original scroll initials within the cartouche to the hinged flip cover. The obverse shows a fairytale view of Abbotsford House. Excellent condition with just a very minor ding along one edge.

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. The scene shown is the South Wing and is the most famous view of the castle. The flag flying in the centre of the scene indicates that the monarch is in residence. 

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. The view shown in this scene shows the front of Abbotsford seen from the East Court. To the centre of the scene, in front of the garden wall, a peacock can be seen  perched on a roller.