Building record MAB6131 - EASTER ELCHIES

Laird's house, dated to 1700 by the datestone but possibly earlier in date, and associated designed landscape.

Laird's house, dated to 1700 by the datestone but possibly earlier in date, and associated designed landscape. The datestone on the house reads '1 JPG 700', probably for John Patrick Grant, whom the house belonged to. Alexander Reid began renting the house and farm in 1820, and established the Macallan distillery (NJ24SE0031). Enlargements of the house by A and W Reid in 1856-7 for the Earl of Seafield transformed it into a huge shooting lodge and extended it unto a T-plan, however it became unoccupied and ruinous. It was restored in 1979-85 by the adjacent Macallan Distillery, and is now used as the visitor centre for the distillery. The house has a 3-storey and attic, regular 4-bay West front, with a rear wing rising the full height, forming a T-plan. It has modern harl, polished ashlar dressings and margins and some rendered margins. The centre two bays rise above the wallhead into a crowstepped gable with two diminutive attic windows, a datestone and apex stack. There is an off-centre entrance with a moulded doorpiece, enlarged outer ground floor windows and two outer second floor windows break the wallhead under mid-19th century gablets. Another entrance is in the East wall of the return gable. A corbelled stair turret rises from the floor floor in the North-East re-entrant angle, with a conical bellcast slated roof. 12-pane glazing is used, and there is a moulded eaves cornice and a Banffshire slate roof. A 1985 octagonal single storey glazed office block is linked to the South gable by a single bay corridor with an entrance and a Banffshire slate roof. The office block is made up of two octagonal office pods, the first from 1985 by Muchal Laird and Partners, and the second by Wittets in circa 1992 to an identical plan. They have shallow platform-piended roofs and facetted skylights, and the sides are fully glazed. They are slightly sunk below ground level. The interior was largely re-modelled in 1985. Part of a designed landscape surrounds it with a walled garden evident on the OS map of 1846. Other features within the designed landscape include kennels (NJ27864434), Ghillies Cottage (NJ27864439) and the Church of Macallan (NJ24SE0008) that includes a mausoleum built in 1715 for John Grant by his son, Patrick.

Period Notes
Datestone of 1700, but it may be earlier. It was almost totally rebuilt in 1857, and by 1969 was becoming ruinous. Restoration took place in 1979-85. Office blocks built in 1985 and circa 1992. It was designated on 09/11/1987.

Img267 - 270, Img267 - 270 (Ground Photograph). SAB36043.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 17/03/87 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

MACGIBBON, D, 1892, THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND, 1-5, No3(1889) 609 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1140.

BOGDAN, NQ, 1991, Castles, Manors & Town House survey, p.37 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2251.

THE MACALLAN, 2012, ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION: PRELIMINARY BRIEFING PAPER (Bibliographic reference). SAB5086.

AOC ARCHAEOLOGY, 2014, MACALLAN DISTILLERY, CRAIGELLACHIE, MORAY, DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, DBA (Bibliographic reference). SAB3671.

Author unknown, n.d., THE NORTHERN SCOT, MARCH 1987 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1270.

Record last edited

Jun 22 2023 3:17PM