Huntly Castle Hotel

Huntly Castle Hotel, from 1752, back wing c.1832, 17th-century house within. The original part is the three-storey harled

block with piend roof at the east end, formerly called Sandiestone. The c.1800 addition on the west in granite ashlar with four-window centre and canted bays is remarkably severe, almost institutional, and was described as having 'little regard to architectural beauty'. Archibald Simpson added the plain, harled rear wing with a simple architraved doorpiece in porch in 1832. Used by eldest son or dowager of Huntly Gordons (Lennoxes) and latterly by his factor. Castle Bridge over rock-cut Deveron, c.1800, Master Mason Elgin. Single semicircular rubble-built arch with ashlar voussoirs. Granite icehouse, also c.1800, beside large plain walled garden and, to the north, a circular doocot of c.1752, in pinned boulder

rubble with red sandstone dressings, closely spaced nails bristling from joints and two tapered, sharply intaken rat courses. The conical slated roof is truncated by an oculus and there are stone and slate boxes and the remains of a possible potence within.

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

NJ54SW 12.00 53282 41360

NJ54SW 12.01 53280 41544 Dovecot

NJ54SW 12.02 Huntly Lodge Farm

NJ54SW 12.03 Sundial, South Lawn

NJ54SW 12.04 Sundial, North Lawn

NJ54SW 12.05 Icehouse

NJ54SW 12.06 Walled Garden

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

National Library of Scotland

Nattes Drawings

1 Drawing, 20 Oct 1799, VOL III No 35 showing bridge over Doveran.

Series of drawings of the Board of Ordnance, Reference MSS.1645-1652, and among the drawings in Case, or Volume 1650, and numbered Z.46/63, is one of the 'North Elevation of Gordon Castle' (as Huntly Lodge appears to have been commonly called). It is marked in pencil as 'the seat of his Grace the Duke of Gordon'. The drawing is coloured, and is perhaps somewhat erude. A pencil note on the back seems to indicate the date of the drawing as 1827.

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

Scottish Records Office

GD 44/Sec 51/Bundle 380/1

Note concerning payments of £365 made by Mr Hamilton [The stones of the Old Tower were used by John Hamilton, factor of Huntly to build himself nearby called Huntly Lodge or Sandston. Later used as a shooting lodge].

1744

GD 44/Sec 51/Bundle 380/1

Building the office and carrying out repairs at Huntly Lodge.

Accounts and discharges.

Mason: John Chalmers.

1749

GD 44/Sec 52/196

Payment to Burrel Leitch of £10.19.8 for plaster work.

Cashbook.

1809

GD 44/Sec 51/Bundle 390

The new hot house at Huntly Lodge. The sum for its repair is included in the account from Robert Barclay, mason.

1812

GD 44/Sec 52/211

Building an addition to Huntly Lodge.

Note of payment made to the Marchioness of Huntly to assist in defraying the expense of addition.

Cashbook.

1821

GD 44/Sec 53/Box 35

Addition to the offices at Huntly Lodge.

It is to include stables, coachhouse, and roofing of the passage between the old and new house.

Estimate is initialled by Edward Wagstaff and signed by John Smith [Architect]

[1781-1852]

N.D.

GD 44/Sec 49/Bundle 7

A brewhouse has been built next to the bakehouse at Huntly Lodge.

Letter concerning its insurance.

1840