ARDOE HOUSE

.

The Dignified Residence of Ardoe House Hotel

"Famous for the beauty of its situation"

.

The history of Ardoe House dates back to 1878 when the house was built for Alexander Ogston and his family. The estate in those days spread for 940 acres and included several productive dairy farms and small holdings. Much of the land was used for forestry and had belonged to the Ogston family since 1839.

.

Alexander Ogston whose nickname was “Soapy Ogston” was a wealthy business man in Aberdeen whose company manufactured and exported soap across the British Empire, at its height in the Victorian Era.

.

The house was built incorporating many design features inspired by Balmoral Castle only a few miles up the river at Crathie. Features like the distinctive pointed turrets and covered entrance give the house a baronial look. Inside, the impressive wood carvings, mosaic floor and stained glass window with the Ogston family coat of Arms remain to this day to remind us of the original occupants.

.

Soapy Ogston died only eight years after the house was completed. The estate was then maintained by his son Alexander Milne Ogston and his wife Katherine Rennie (her initials can still be seen in the stained glass behind our Lairds Bar). The house and major properties of the estate were sold at auction just after the end of the World War II in September 1945.

.

After a period of conversion Ardoe House opened as a hotel in 1947 keeping many of the original pieces of furniture which can still be seen today.

.

The ownership of the hotel changed several times the name of Ardoe House Hotel has always been linked to warm hospitality and high quality. The 1980’s saw a period of development with the addition of the Garden Room (now part of Restaurant) and the Conservatory (later enlarged to become the Ogston Suite). These were Ardoe House Hotel’s first private function rooms.

.

Finally, in 1987 the estate of Ardoe House Hotel as broken into smaller lots and sold individually, and at that time ownership was transferred to Waterside Inns Ltd which in now known as Mercure Ardoe House Hotel & Spa. The one mile of fishing rights, formerly part of the estate are now owned by a time share scheme and several lodges and cottages are now private family homes.

.

The present day – Although Ardoe House boasts one hundred and twenty beautiful ensuite bedrooms and function suites suitable for two or five hundred guests, it is very likely that Soapy Ogston himself would still appreciate the luxury and splendour that is the essence of Ardoe House Hotel.

.

.