Recording Your Heritage Online
Event ID 563263
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Recording Your Heritage Online
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/563263
Pittodrie, 1490, early/mid-17th century. On the north-eastern slopes of Bennachie, almost hard by the craggy Mither Tap itself, a wonderfully matured house, grown from the stepped rubble L-plan block to the west. This is most likely of the early 17th century, although a date as early as 1490 has been suggested for the wheel stair in the south-east re-entrant angle. The north-west re-entrant angle was infilled in 1675, when a north-east wing was also added.
In 1841, to the east of this conglomeration, and to some extent wrapped round it, Archibald Simpson built a comfortable neo-Jacobean mansion complete with three-storey balustraded entrance tower to east and an ogee-capped (very like Newe, qv) tower on the south. (The 1605 armorial panel came from Balhalgardy, just west of Inverurie.)
A billiard room was added 1900-3 and a canted bay window to Simpson's drawing room in 1926. Now run as a hotel, it was greatly extended in 1990 by the addition, on the south, of a magnificent pastiche of the 17th-century part of Drum Castle by Mike Rasmussen: interiors, Amanda Rose & Sylvia Lawson Johnstone.
Some early interior details survive (eg water chute and shot hole), while the grounds contain surprises, most notably the detached gunroom - 18th century in present form but the two transverse vaults in the lower part may indicate 16th-century work. Also plain, 17th century sundial with cube dial and ball finial.
Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
