Haddo House
| Haddo House | |
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 Haddo House | |
| Grid reference: | NJ871347 |
| Information | |
| Website: | Haddo House |
Haddo House is a stately home in Aberdeenshire, approximately 20 miles north of Aberdeen. The home of the Marquesses of Aberdeen, it has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1979.
The Gordons, who later became the Earls of Aberdeen and Marquesses of Aberdeen, have lived on the site for over 500 years.[1] Haddo House sits in or near the site of the old Kellie Castle, the family's previous dwelling which was burnt down by the Covenanters and dates from 1732;[1] it was designed by William Adam in the Georgian Palladian style. The interior of the house though is late Victorian in style, having undergone refurbishment in 1880 by Wright and Mansfield.[1]
Haddo contains a large art collection, including a series of 85 castles by James Giles.[2] There are also several portraits of 19th century British politicians.
Haddo House's most notable former resident was George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, the Prime Minister from 1852–1855.[3]
Another notable period in its history was during the Second World War, when the house became a maternity hospital for the evacuated mothers of Glasgow. Nearly 1,200 babies were born at Haddo Emergency Hospital, as it was known, and many still come back to visit known affectionately as the Haddo Babies.[4]
The house has a small chapel attached. In the grounds is a theatre, Haddo House Hall, and rehearsal rooms, known as the Peatyards.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about House Haddo House) |
- Haddo House - National Trust for Scotland
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 National Trust for Scotland
- ↑ aboutaberdeen.com
- ↑ The Heraldry Society of Scotland
- ↑ Search is on for Haddo babies, National Trust For Scotland, June 18, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2012.