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 »
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 »
An introduction to the mediaeval feudal system, where warrior nobility ruled Scotland. Read more »
"...on the other bank is the parochial village of Ellon, close to which are Abbotshall, Ardgrain, and Auchterellon, castles or houses of the Forbeses, the Kennedies and the Udnies respectively..." Read more »
Nether Ardgrain, or Ardgrain as it was originally known, has had tenants on this site from the late middle ages onwards, and historical records suggest a tenancy at Ardgrain as early as 1422.
Erected to Royal Charter in 1528 with the Crown as superior, the main house at Ardgrain is sited on top of a much earlier structure built by the Innes family. Read more »
