Glenbuchat Heritage

19 Candacraig House Strathdon 1910

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From Candacraig History. .com

Candacraig

15th Century
The Andersons of Candacraig
‘Candacraig’ (‘Ceann-na-craige’ in Gaelic) means ‘point or head of the rock’ and legend has it that the first Laird of Candacraig, Patrick Anderson, acquired the property after discovering silver under a boulder in Glen Carvie in the mid-1500's. On his death, his eldest son, Alexander Anderson became the 2nd Laird of Candacraig and it is at this time that the first formal first record of the transfer of ownership of the estate of Candacraig exists. (Coat of Arms of the Andersons of Candacraig). The Anderson family owned Candacraig until it was sold in 1866.

1890
Forbes Buys Candacraig
When it was announced in July 1866 that Sir Charles Forbes, 3rd Bart, had purchased it for £30,000, there was huge relief and jubilation. ‘The news that Sir Charles Forbes, who already owns the estates of Newe, Kinglassie, and Skellater, has purchased the estate of Candacraig led to a public celebration. On the evening of Wednesday last, a number of bonfires were erected on the more prominent hills on these estates, and the positions of these huge piles of burning timber, etc. occupied positions for some 18 or 20 miles along the upper Don.

1900
The Wallace Family Take Ownership
After leasing the property for a decade, in 1900 Alexander purchased the house and shooting estate from the Forbes for £54,000. He commissioned additions to the house from the Inverness architect, George Gordon (architectural plan 1900). ‘Candacraig House has been entirely overhauled, redecorated, and improved. At great cost the estate has been improved in every way, while the whole mansion house has been redecorated and finely upholstered. The large billiard room has special panels carved by natives in Burma where Wallace's firm has business.

The Wallace family replanted the walled garden as a flower and vegetable garden and in 1920 the area of formal gardens was extended to include a rock garden. This expanded the varieties of rare and exotic trees throughout the garden and estate, that includes specimens from Japan, India, China, California and South Africa.

1983
Robin & Adrienne Scott
Candacraig was bought for £110,000 by Robin and Adrienne Scott in 1983. At Candacraig he set up what was described as an ‘Advanced Ability Centre’ and a stream of people came to participate. Early in 1985 the house was bought by Julian Ludlow who operated it as a guest house while seeking planning permission to convert it into a hotel. Finding the conditions for a change of use to be too demanding and expensive, Ludlow abandoned his plans and put Candacraig back on the market

1987
Anita & Gordon Roddick
In 1987, Anita Roddick, the creator of Body Shop, and her husband were holidaying in their timeshare on Deeside and happened to visit Candacraig Gardens and Tea Room. On learning the house was for sale they bought it and embarked on a comprehensive programme of improvement.

1998
Billy Connolly & Pamela Stephenson
In 1998 the Roddicks sold the property to the Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly, who moved in with his wife Pamela Stephenson and their young family. Connolly, nicknamed the ‘Big Yin’, took on the role of the new laird with enthusiasm as the Aberdeen Press and Journal reported in 1998. ‘Billy Connolly and his wife Pamela Stephenson gave the Men of Lonach a traditional dram at Candacraig House, Strathdon, on Saturday before the 157th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games. Teetotal Billy who is thought to have opted for a soft drink played the perfect host to his new neighbours. And he told them there was never any doubt that they would be welcomed into the grounds of the mansion. Secretary of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, John Barber, said Billy had made a speech the marchers. “It was very moving and he was very serious about it. They really enjoyed it and both Billy and his wife greeted the marchers.” Later, Billy, his wife, and children watched the games from a stand in the main arena. At the 1999 games, Connolly's guests brought a show-business flavour to proceedings with Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Judi Dench and Eric Idle delighting locals by arriving in traditional Highland dress.

2014
Lynne & Marc Lino
In May 2014 the house was sold to the current owners Lynne and Marc Lino.


From Historic Environment Scotland.

Candacraig House
Lb16164
333945, 811130
Description
A G R Mackenzie, 1956, retaining fabric of fire-damaged 1835 Jacobean House by John Smith of Aberdeen, which had incorporated an earlier house. W wing George Gordon of Inverness, 1900, partly remodelled 1956. Well-detailed, 2- and 3-storey, L-plan Jacobethan house sited at N estate boundary and overlooking policies to River Don at S. Harl with stone margins, some chamfered; coursed squared rubble with ashlar dressings to rear. Base course. Conical-roofed round towers, decorative stone windowheads and vaulted cellars. Stone transoms and mullions.

Further Description: asymmetrical elevations. S entrance elevation with broad door to squat round tower in re-entrant angle set back at right and ostrich emblem (see Notes) to gabled bay at right; advanced block at left with 4 stone-pedimented windowheads breaking eaves and conical towers to SE and NW angles; W wing with transomed windows to broad canted bay.

Largely multi-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. Graded grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks; ashlar-coped skews with block skewputts. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers. Decorative ironwork weathervanes.

Interior: some fine early interior detail retained. Moulded cornices; classical detail to dining room including broken pediment doorpieces and cornices; panelled sitting room with fine strapwork ceiling and Tudor-arched stone fireplace with 2-tier carved frieze. Early linenfold panelling and door with relief carved detail (possibly imported) in earlier E wing. Oak studded door to 1st floor room (see Notes).

Statement of Special Interest
Retaining much of its fine early character, Candacraig, described in the New Statistical Account as a mix of Elizabethan and Scotch manor-house, has evolved from simple origins. Holding an important position in Strathdon, the lairdship was granted to the Anderson family, whose crest is the oak tree, in 1620, but there has been a house at this site since 1579. A painting thought to be dated 1760, by S Leith of Banff, shows a good size 3-bay cottage-type dwelling with another slightly lower range set at right angles, and nearby a rather fine 2-storey steading with arcaded front. This is without doubt the building now known as Candacraig Square (separately listed). Some years later, a more sophisticated view shows a perfectly planned picturesque landscape with dovecote (separately listed) to one side and a large house with square central tower on rising ground in the middle distance. A squat re-entrant tower, lower (east) wing and conical-roofed tower are the sole recognisable features. John Smith's 1835 design, much as it is today, used granite fortuitously located in a nearby quarry, and plans (within Candacraig Estate Office) of 1900 by George Gordon show the house before the fire of 1955, and after reconstruction. A collection of carved stones from the earlier building have been laid out as terracing immediately to the south of the principal elevation. The studded oak door mentioned above was salvaged from Corgarff Castle in 1923 (prior to restoration).

Candacraig House was sold into separate ownership from the estate during the 1980s. It had been purchased by Mr A F Wallace in 1900, having previously been held on a long lease. During that period the Wallaces had 'built 7 houses and rehabilitated over 50 since 1945 on Candacraig estate' (New Statistical Account, p285). The Wallace family crest, 'An ostrich in full flight proper', can be seen on many of these buildings throughout the glen. From 1866 until 1900, the estate was in the ownership of the Forbes family, also connected with Bellabeg, Skellater, Inverernan, Auchernach and the Newe Estate. Duncan Anderson, the 6th laird, had married Agnes Forbes, daughter of Alexander Forbes of Invernochty. After her death he married Helen Forbes and subsequently the estate passed to the Forbes clan.

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