Ardgrain

Front view Ardgrain, the Historic Scotland Grade A listed Baronial house which is on the outskirts of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland.

Visible at the top of Ardgrain is the royal crest of King Charles II, carved into stone. This has the date 1664 carved into the lower corners. Above the main double doors is the Virgil quotation and house motto, along with a sun dial. The sun dial is thought to pre-date the house, and would have come from an earlier building on the same site. The lintel above the Ardgrain main door has the initials JEB (for John Edward Bean) and the date 1757.  Read more » 

Ardgrain Main Double Doors 

The double front doorway at Ardgrain is surrounded by a carved granite frame, spanned by a single granite lintel. Into this is carved the initials JEB and the date 1757. John Edward Bean made extensive alterations to Ardgrain from 1740 onwards, and he added the single storey kitchen wing to the house. Above the doorway is a Virgil quotation and house motto:

"How happy would the husbandman be if he knew his own good. Let improvements and liberty flourish."  Read more » 

Ardgrain

Front view of Ardgrain, showing the third floor triangular window below the Royal crest of King Charles II. The triangular window at the top of Ardgrain is very unusual to see in a house this old, and compliments the front of the house, mirroring the triangular roof above. Symbolically, triangular windows are sometimes associated with Templar and Freemasonry traditions. The triangular window on Ardgrain looks directly North when viewed from the outside.  Read more » 

Bartholomew Map of Ellon

Extract from J.G. Bartholomew's 'Survey Atlas of Scotland', 1912, centred on Ellon and showing Ardgrain towards the top of the map. A wider view of Formartine shows a larger area of the map, including Udney, Newburgh and Foveran.  Read more » 

Bartholomew Map of Ellon and Surrounding Areas

Extract from the JG Bartholomew & Son, Half-Inch to the Mile maps of Scotland, 1926-1935. Showing Ellon and the surrounding areas, including Ardgrain. This colour map was first published in 1933.  Read more »