The site of Haddo House has been continuously occupied by the same branch of the Gordon family since the 15th century. The current mansion was built in 1732, when the 2nd Earl of Aberdeen pulled down the ruined castle of his ancestors to create a more fashionable residence for his family.
Built to designs by William Adam, the leading Scottish architect of the time, Haddo House is an example of the fashionable Palladian revival style. Adam’s design for the house comprised a main central block providing accommodation and entertaining rooms for the Gordon family, as well as two side wings containing stables, a kitchen and services. After climbing a set of stairs outside, visitors and family entered the house through a door on the first floor, into a very grand Entrance Hall.
Under the guidance of the 4th Earl of Aberdeen and then later the 7th Earl, during the 19th century the interiors of Haddo House underwent alterations by a number of nationally recognised Scottish architects, including Archibald Simpson, John Smith and Wardrop and Reid. It now displays significant interior decoration from this time. The south wing was greatly enlarged by the 7th Earl around 1877, who also added a new ground-floor entrance hall and staircases. The result is an elegant blend of crisp Georgian architecture and opulent Victorian interior design.
Haddo contains many excellent examples of fine art and furniture, along with primary source material that provides insight into the lives and times of the generations of Gordons who have lived here. A guided tour leads visitors through many rooms, including the drawing room, beautiful dining room and even the bedroom where Queen Victoria stayed in 1857. Throughout the house, an atmosphere of homeliness and welcoming hospitality remains.
This impressive property also has a more recent historical significance: it served as a maternity hospital during the Second World War and more than 1,200 babies were born here – some in the room where Queen Victoria slept!
The Gordons entertained many notable guests over the year, including members of the royal family, prime ministers, other nobles, politicians and musicians. With many guests came many gifts, which has resulted in the wonderful collection at the house. A porcelain tea set, dating from around 1741, is painted in colourful enamels, with the arms of Gordon of Haddo, Earls of Aberdeen combined with the arms of Gordon, Dukes of Gordon. Prestigious objects like these were often given to influential aristocrats by prudent merchants in anticipation of future benefits or appeals.
Perhaps the most famous painting in the house is the Haddo Madonna, acquired by George Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1852–55. He was an avid collector of Renaissance art and owned, amongst many other works, Titian’s An Allegory of Prudence (now in the National Gallery, London). In 2016 art historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor featured the painting on the BBC4 programme, Britain’s Lost Masterpieces, proposing that the attribution to Raphael was correct.
