The Crimonmogate Estate

Crimonmogate sits in what is known as the ‘North East Neuk’ of Scotland, two miles from the village of Crimond. The estate itself is well wooded, secluded and very beautiful - almost entirely surrounded by beech hedges and stands of mature beech trees. The house is sitauted at its heart and is not overlooked by any other building, nor can it be seen from outside the estate. In fact, the nearest major road is more than half a mile away - so the estate is a haven of quiet, where the only sounds are the singing of the birds and the wind in the trees.

The estate lands are approximately triangular, bounded to the North West and North East by minor roads and to the South by fields and woodlands - all sitting within a Conservation Area which is recognised by the Secretary of State for Scotland as being of ‘unique historical and landscape interest’. There are some 122 acres of woodland and around 75 acres of arable land, which is currently farmed by the owners. Many interesting stone-age and bronze age archaeological sites can be found nearby, including the eerie remains of the Palaeolithic Stone Circle of Lonmay, in a clump of trees in a field within a mile of the house.

Recent surveys by Historic Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Scottish Garden History Society have established the unique importance of the estate, not only as a setting for one of the last palaces to be built in Britain, but also as a haven for abundant wildlife and for plant life such as the fine stands of beeches.

The area is also noted for its many miles of clean and undisturbed sandy beaches, including the remote and beautiful beach at Rattray Head, just four miles from the house, where it is warm enough to bathe within the arms of the bay from May to October. The weather remains warmer here than in other parts of Scotland, with frosts rare  and seldom severe. Likewise, snow usually falls lightly and does not linger long – but regardless of the cold, fires blaze and crackle merrily and the light from the chandeliers glitters and sparkles on the snow-covered lawns until the shutters are closed for the night.