Leith Hall

Leith Hall is a country house in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, standing on the site of the medieval Peill Castle. Built in 1650, it served as the home of the Leith-Hay family for nearly three centuries. The house grew over time, with wings added in 1756, 1797 and 1868 to form a courtyard. The 286-acre estate includes gardens and grounds open to the public all year. Since 1945 the National Trust for Scotland has cared for the property. The hall has also hosted a temporary Red Cross hospital during the First World War. The house contains family portraits, fine china and clocks, while the gardens are laid out in sheltered stages. Flowering trees, roses and ornamental grasses grow alongside fruit and vegetables. A stream winds through gravel paths and stone crevices, and the Moon Gate leads to the old turnpike road. Two nature trails, each about two miles long, cross the grounds, which also include ponds and a birdwatching site. The writer Elizabeth Byrd lived here in the 1960s and described paranormal experiences in her books. Visitors find the hall’s rooms filled with china, portraits and clocks, and the gardens arranged in sheltered sections. A little stream runs through the grounds, and the Moon Gate opens to the old road. Two nature trails wind through the estate, and ponds and a birdwatching site add to the landscape. The site is also known for ghostlore, including the apparition of Laird John Leith III, said to appear with a bandaged head. The hall’s history and surroundings make it a place where past and present meet.