Dunecht House

[3][4] In 1820 William Forbes commissioned the Aberdeen City Architect John Smith to design a replacement house in a basic two-storey Grecian-inspired style.

[6] His main family residence was Haigh Hall in Greater Manchester and it was under the instruction of the 25th Earl of Crawford, his eldest son who succeeded him in 1869, that further extensive additions were made to the Dunecht mansion.

[8] Usually an annual ball was held at either Haigh Hall or the family's London home but in October 1871 it was hosted at Dunecht.

[1] A fire in early November 1872 caused some damage to the four-storey north-west wing which housed servant quarters.

[17] The original design for the mansion by John Smith in 1820 was constructed from granite, had a full basement, three main reception rooms.

[21] The formal gardens are sited to the west and south of the mansion and feature two large terraces designed by Aston Webb in the early 20th-century.

[8] The house was owned by Charles Anthony Pearson, brother of the 4th Viscount Cowdray,[citation needed] although it was unoccupied from 1998 while remaining in his ownership.

[citation needed] It was marketed for sale in 2012[22] and purchased by Jamie Oag,[23] the owner of Spex Group and founder of Optima.