Meet Brodie’s big bunny

The secret garden development at Brodie Castle has begun to unfold, with the arrival of a very large and key element to the brand new Playful Garden. The massive sculpture arrived by lorry from its manufacturing base in Yorkshire and is the first of an amazing array of characters making this new Moray Trust attraction a ‘must visit’ family day out.

The huge 6.5-metre rabbit will be part of the Playful Garden menagerie – all reflecting the Brodie family’s history and eccentricity. Made of white marble Jesmonite and sculpted by the team at Paragon Creative Ltd in York, it could be the largest rabbit sculpture in Scotland.

It travelled over 300 miles north from its place of manufacture and, after journeying through Scotland, was carefully lifted by crane into its final position in the centre of the new development in the grounds of Brodie Castle.

Clare Taylor, Operations Manager at Brodie Castle explains:

‘Ninian, 25th Brodie of Brodie, was an actor and he took part in a production of Harvey around 1960. Produced by Gwynn Mackintosh, the performances took place in Nairn, and Ninian Brodie played the lead character, Elwood P Dowd. The picture entitled ‘Ninian and the Rabbit’, on display in the castle for visitors to see, was originally produced as a poster for the production in Nairn. And so this was how the idea of the Rabbit character in our Playful Garden was developed! There are even more colourful Playful Garden characters and stories to be revealed over the next few weeks!’

Clare adds: ‘The new Playful Garden will be ready to welcome visitors in the New Year - watch out for news of some sneak previews before then though! Many already know and love the Brodie Castle estate and this will offer a whole new experience.’

The Playful Garden at Brodie Castle, supported by the Mutch Bequest, is one of several priority projects underway at National Trust for Scotland sites this year – all aimed at improving the visitor experience and encouraging more people to experience Scotland’s heritage.