Duff House is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

estate house An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner. British context In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...

in Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Now in the care of

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...

, it is part of the National Galleries of Scotland and is a

Category A listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...

building. The house is built of ashlar in three storeys to a square plan (9-bay x 8-bay) on a raised basement with advanced corner towers. The house and the associated Fife gates, walled garden, Collie lodge, mausoleum, ice house, Bridge Gates House and the Eagles Gate lodge are designated as Category A listed group of buildings.

History

Duff House was designed by William Adam and built between 1735 and 1740 for William Duff of Braco. The design and construction resulted in a legal dispute between the architect and owner which culminated in a legal case in 1743. Construction began on 11 June 1735. The design of the house originally intended to have flanking pavilions linked by colonnaded quadrants but these were never completed as the Earl thought the house would be too large. This, along with further disagreements on the issue of mason work resulted in the legal case between the architect and Earl. David Bryce Jr was later commissioned to provide a three-storey pavilion and corridor block, but this was damaged by a bomb in 1940 and subsequently demolished. The Earls of Fife moved out of Duff House in 1903, gifting the property to Banff Burgh in 1906. Between 1911 and 1913, the House functioned as a hotel and then became a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

until 1923 when it became a hotel again. The hotel closed in 1928 and Duff House entered a period of limited use. However, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the House became an internment camp and later a prisoner of war camp. In 1940, the House was damaged during a bombing raid resulting in eight dead and serious damage to parts of the building. By 1942, the House was used by the Free Norwegian forces as their Headquarters, along with use by Polish exile forces. In 1956 it passed into care by the State and a period of refurbishment began across the property. In 1995, the house became part of the National Galleries of Scotland. The house still sits in much of its original designed landscape, albeit with the addition of a golf course.

References

External links

Duff House website
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Banff, Aberdeenshire National Galleries of Scotland William Adam buildings Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Museums in Aberdeenshire Art museums and galleries in Aberdeenshire Parks in Aberdeenshire Historic house museums in Aberdeenshire Country houses in Aberdeenshire Art museums established in 1995 Houses completed in 1740 1995 establishments in Scotland Historic Scotland properties in Aberdeenshire Georgian architecture in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed houses in Scotland Listed museum buildings in Scotland