Old Photographs Gates Dunecht House Scotland

Old photograph of the gates to Dunecht House in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The barony of Echt had been owned by the Forbes family since 1469 and the original mansion house, built in 1705, was known as Housedale. The present mansion is located slightly to the south west of it. In 1820 William Forbes commissioned the Aberdeen City Architect John Smith to design a replacement house in a Grecian inspired style. The house and lands were sold to James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford in 1845. His main family residence was Haigh Hall in Greater Manchester, England, and it was under the instruction of Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford, his eldest son who succeeded him in 1869, that further extensive additions were made to the Dunecht mansion. This phase of architectural work was undertaken by Smith's son William and spanned from 1855 to 1859. Usually an annual ball was held at either Haigh Hall or the family's London home but in October 1871 it was hosted at Dunecht. Attendees included the Gordons from Cluny Castle, the Abercrombies from Forglen House, the Irvines from Drum Castle and many other dignitaries from throughout the north east. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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