Glenkindie House

Glenkindie House stands in a quiet glen in Aberdeenshire, about five kilometres south-west of Kildrummy. The original castle was built in 1595 by the Strachans on a site beside the River Don. In 1639 it was plundered by Donald Farquharson of Monaltrie, and in 1644 it was burnt by Archibald Campbell, the first Marquess of Argyll. The Leith family later took over the property. The house was remodelled twice, first in 1785 and again around 1900, when Sydney Mitchell designed the present building. The rebuilt house is a U-shaped mansion with the open side facing south. The oldest part is the east wing, which may date from the 16th century and has two storeys plus an attic. A matching wing was added in the 17th century, but the main block, on the site of the original castle, belongs to the 19th century. It has two storeys and a three-storey cap-house tower set off-centre. The windows are framed with quoins, and inside a scale-and-platt staircase rises on Ionic columns. Visitors walk through the south-facing entrance into a courtyard formed by the three wings. The east wing still shows its early masonry, while the 19th-century main block dominates the scene. The Ionic staircase inside is a notable feature, and the quoined windows give the exterior a crisp, symmetrical look. The house sits in a sheltered glen where the Kindie Burn meets the River Don, with open countryside stretching beyond.