Building record MAB22715 - DEER PARK, HADDO HOUSE

Deer Park occupying rising ground within the eastern part of the Haddo House designed landscape (NJ83SE0076), it pre-dates the present Haddo House (NJ83SE0042), with the stone dyke suggested to have been built circa 1690.

Deer Park occupying rising ground within the eastern part of the Haddo House designed landscape (NJ83SE0076), it pre-dates the present Haddo House (NJ83SE0042), with the stone dyke suggested to have been built circa 1690. Historically, the Deer Park was an enclosed hunting area for the Earls of Aberdeen, with a walled boundary, associated with Haddo House. The high rubble wall which encloses the deer park, is an early and striking component of the eastern part of the designed landscape. As well as the ownership and use of the Deer Park by the Earls of Aberdeen from medieval times, there have been several prehistoric finds within the area. A programme of archaeological survey and assessment of the deer park was carried out by Rathmell Archaeology in July to September 2017, comprising desk based assessment and walkover survey. The survey area included a number of previously recorded historic environment features: The Golden Gates (NJ83SE0109), a pair of stag statues (NJ83SE0110), The Terminal Monument (NJ83SE0111), and areas of rig and furrow (NJ83SE0077). The survey also identified three new sites of large rounded boulders representing clearance cairns (NJ83SE0188), most likely associated with rig and furrow agriculture. Linked to this work was a number of community excavations focused on the site of a pheasantry (NJ83SE0158) shown on the OS 2nd edition map, a building of unknown use (NJ83SE0156), and an earthwork to the northeast of a footbridge (NJ83SE0157). Evidence of the structures shown on the historic maps was recovered, but no features were recorded to support the suggestion that the earthwork was associated with an early phase of the deer park.

Period Notes
Stone dyke suggested to have been built in c.1690.

RATHMELL ARCHAEOLOGY, 2017, HADDO HOUSE DEER PARK, ABERDEENSHIRE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY ASSESSMENT AND COMMUNITY EXCAVATION, DBA and Excavation (Bibliographic reference). SAB3131.

Record last edited

Nov 14 2025 2:58PM