Aden Country Park
.jpg) | |
  Location within Aberdeenshire | |
| Established | 1723 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
Aden Country Park is located in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and is first mentioned in the 10th-century Book of Deer.[1] The park contains landscaped gardens, forest walks, camping and caravan facilities, recreational areas, and the maintained ruins of Aden House. It is also home to the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum.
The park can be accessed from Mintlaw via Station Road or Nether Aden Road, and hosts an annual pipe band contest which attracts bands from across Scotland.
Aberdeenshire Farming Museum
The Aberdeenshire Farming Museum comprises two main features. The early 19th-century semicircular Home Farm steading presents interpretations of life on the 20th-century Aden Estate, including through the use of costumed guides. The "Weel Vrocht Grun" (well-worked ground) contains displays on regional farming history and agricultural innovation over the last two centuries.[2]
The Hareshowe Working Farm was moved to Aden Country Park in the early 1990s. The farmhouse has been restored to a 1950s appearance, with guided tours providing demonstrations of cooking and farm activities.[3]
Aden House
The mansion house was originally granted to the Keith family in 1324, before passing to the Russells of Montcoffer.[1] It was said to have been beautiful prior to its ruin.[4] Alexander Russell of Montcoffer (1723–98) later purchased the Aden estate in 1758 from James Ferguson of Kinmundy.
John Smith reconstructed the mansion in 1832 with "a magnificent balustraded west wing and Doric-columned, domed, projecting west bow".[1]
Alexander Russell's great-great-grandson, Sidney Russell (1895–1965), was the last Russell laird to live at Aden. He sold the estate in 1937 and moved to Dorset. The Barony of Aden is still held by the Russell family.
During World War II, it was used as an army barracks, and it is said that the interior decoration was damaged and lost its lustre during this period. After the war, the house was left to fall into ruin. As of 1990, only its outer walls remained standing.[1]
The house is made of grey granite.
References
- ^ a b c d McKean (1990), p. 89
- ^ "Aberdeenshire Farming Museum". Aberdeenshire Council. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- ^ "Aberdeenshire Farming Museum". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ John Bernard Burke (1847). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland Vol. II. London: Henry Colburn. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
Bibliography
- McKean, Charles (1990), Banff & Buchan, Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, ISBN 978-1-85158-231-0
External links
- Aden Country Park Website
- Aberdeenshire Council Website - Aden Country Park
- Aberdeenshire Farming Museum Website
- Aberdeenshire Council Website - Aberdeenshire Farming Museum
- Local Information on the Park
Settlements and places of interest in Buchan, Aberdeenshire | ||
|---|---|---|
| Primary settlements |  | |
| Other settlements | ||
| Places of interest | ||
57°31′19″N 2°1′47″W / 57.52194°N 2.02972°W