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Oakley Castle/Inzievar House

From: Ian Thompson <ithompson~at~geog.gla.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 09:54:31 +0100
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
Cc: "Geoff Woollen" <G.Woollen~at~french.arts.gla.ac.uk>

Some further evidence ( not that it is really needed) that the "Oakley
Castle" in "Backwards to Britain" is in reality Inzievar House near Oakley
in the County of Fife, owned by the brother of the "Reverend Mr S"
In Backwards to Britain Verne writes "The drawing-room walls were hung with
valuable paintings - exceptional canvases from the Italian school which the
priest himself had brought from Rome, and a few Flemish masterpieces.
Jacques and Jonathan were amazed to find such luxury in the heart of that
untamed countryside".
We may compare this with an extract from "Murray's Handbook for Scotland" (a
very detailed 19th century guidebook), which states that a visit to Inzievar
House is justified to see "a good collection of pictures:- portraits of Sir
Walter Scott by Sir J.W.Gordon; Landscape by Cuyp; Mary Queen of Scots as a
girl by Holbein, S.Sebastian, by P.Veronese; A Doge of Venice,by L.da
Vinci."
It is not surprising that the young Verne was amazed and it is sad that this
treasure trove no longer exists.As the fortunes of the owners, the Smith
Sligo family declined with the closure of the industries Verne observed
(coal mines and iron works) and the sale of the estate lands, Inzievar House
itself was sold and the "castle" divided into flats. Verne thus saw Inzievar
when the mansion and its contents were at their magnificent best and the
prestige of the Smith family was at its height.
Ian Thompson.
Received on Mon 18 Oct 2004 - 10:54:40 IST

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