The 19th-century house is occupied by Scottish Natural Heritage, and is protected as a category B listed building.

[2] Battleby was bought in 1947 by Sir Alexander Cross, who built up an important plant collection in the grounds.

In 1970 the house was purchased by the Countryside Commission for Scotland, a public body with responsibility for natural heritage, and was converted for use as their national headquarters,[2] with a visitor centre designed by Morris and Steedman.

[4] In 1992, the Countryside Commission for Scotland was replaced with a new body, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

SNH later moved their main headquarters to Inverness, and Battleby now serves as a local office within the Tayside and Grampian Area Management Unit.