Members' Centres and
Friends' Groups
NORTH EAST ABERDEENSHIRE MEMBERS' CENTRE
Newsletter August 2025
Notes from our Chairman
It has been a busy Summer and the weather has blessed all our visits. As we approach Autumn we will be reverting to our usual schedule of talks and indoor events. We have a lot to look forward to. In September we will have a fundraising concert in collaboration with the talented young musicians of Meldrum Academy. Make sure you book your tickets for that. On 9th October we are out and about again - not a garden visit this time, but a visit to somewhere where they are more concerned about what is going on under the surface of your garden - the James Hutton institute in Aberdeen. There is more information later in the newsletter. Thanks to all of you we are once again able to donate £3,000 to our local NTS properties. This is great news and the Members' Centre couldn't do this without your ongoing support. Thank you!
Patricia Shaw.
Visit to Delgatie Castle.
It was a perfect Summer's day when we visited Delgatie and the Castle was looking almost impossibly romantic. Even those of us who had visited before fell in love with it all over again. Joan Johnson, who heads up the Delgatie Castle Trust and who personally oversees most of the activities at the Castle, met us to give us an introduction to the history of the Castle before we started our self-guided tour. Joan has been at the Castle for over 40 years and her recollections of the Captain really brought the story of the Castle alive. Captain Hay bought the castle on a whim to save it from being destroyed by its then owner the Countess of Erroll, who had plans to remove the roof to avoid having to pay taxes on the property. He and his wife lovingly restored the Castle over many years. Shortly before he died Captain Hay set up the Delgatie Castle Trust and it was to Joan that he entrusted the ongoing care of his beloved family home. We ended our visit with a delicious lunch provided by the Castle tearoom, which is a popular destination for those who appreciate fine home cooking.
Visit to Arbuthnott House and the Grassic Gibbon Centre.
We had another beautiful day for our visit to Arbuthnott House. We were met by Chris and Emily Arbuthnott, whose home this is. The Arbuthnott family have lived here for 37 generations, almost 900 years. Although the lands of Arbuthnott or Aberbothenoth, were occupied and documented well before the 13th century, Hugh de Swinton is credited as the true current family ancestor. He came north from Berwickshire, married, settled, and changed his name to "Arbuthnott" in 1190. Most of the House as seen today dates from major rebuilding work carried out during the 1700s but parts of the house are much earlier dating back to an original tower house built in the 16th century. 
As well as getting a guided tour of the House we were able to stroll around the beautiful gardens. The present formal garden is on a very steep slope and was designed, laid out and brought into life between 1685 and 1690. About 100 years later a further and more extensive landscape plan was devised. The cultivated gardens extend to some 5 acres and we were amazed to learn that they are maintained by only one full time gardener. Not only does he keep the grass and borders in tip top condition, but he also tends a productive kitchen garden supplying fruit and vegetables to the house. Amazing! We followed our visit to Arbuthnott House with lunch at the Grassic Gibbon Centre, after which we were able to peruse the exhibition celebrating the life and work of author Lewis Grassic Gibbon (James Leslie Mitchell) best known for the classic Scottish novel "Sunset Song". It was fascinating to learn more about this prolific author and wonder how much more he could have produced had he not died tragically young at the age of 34 in 1935.
What's Coming Up
7:00 pm 26th September at Daviot Village Hall, Fundraising Concert featuring the students of Meldrum Academy.
The young musicians attending Meldrum Academy can boast a rock band, a ceilidh band, a guitar group, solo piano and clarinet players, pipers and highland dancers. They will be bringing their many and varied talents to Daviot Village Hall on 26th September to help us raise funds for the National Trust for Scotland. This is certain to be a popular event. Tickets will be available through Eventbrite, but Members can also buy tickets using the ticket application form at the end of the Newsletter.
Thursday 9th October at 10:30am, Visit to the James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen.
The Institute takes its name from James Hutton (1726-1797), Scottish geologist, agriculturalist, chemical manufacturer, naturalist and physician. Often referred to as the "Father of Modern Geology", James Hutton played a key role in establishing geology as a modern science. The Institute was formed in 2011 from a merger of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MLURI) and the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI). It works to improve the resilience of crops, land, natural resources and communities in the face of changes and climate and habitats. Their unique research is tested in labs and at scale on their farms. Chief Executive Prof. Colin Campbell will tell us more about the history and the current work at the Institute. There is no charge for what is certain to be a fascinating visit. but numbers will be limited so you will need to book using the booking form at the end of the newsletter.
Where does the Money Go?
As mentioned in the Chairman's notes, we are able to donate another £3,000 to Haddo House, Fyvie Castle and Pitmedden Garden this year. We donated £3,000 in 2024, so how did the properties use the money? The staff at Haddo House invested in some high-quality Christmas decorations to help create the feel of a Victorian Christmas. The decorations will be used year after year, so look out for them if you visit any Christmas events at Haddo this year. Have noticed some lovely new terracotta planters around the house and courtyard at Pitmedden? They are there courtesy of the Members' Centre. Feedback from visitors to Fyvie had suggested that more places to sit and take time to enjoy the location would be appreciated, so they used our donation to provide some seating and picnic tables near the American Garden. Check them out.
Current Opening Hours for our Local Properties
Haddo House Friday to Monday. Access to house by tours only at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00
Courtyard Cafe Thursday to Monday, 10:00 to 16:00.
Shop Friday to Monday 10:30 to 16:00.
Fyvie Castle Castle, Shop and Tearoom open until 26th October, Wednesday to Sunday 10:30 to 16:00
Grounds and Garden Open (weather permitting) 1st January to 31st December, daily, 09.00 to dusk.
Pitmedden Garden Garden, Museum Shop and Tearoom open until 28th September, Thursday to Monday 10:30 to 16:00
Grounds Please note Pitmedden Garden car park is open daily between 9.30am and 4.30pm. The car park is locked/secured overnight.
What's on at our Properties
More details and tickets for all these events are available from each property's webpage (under the "Events" heading) on the NTS Website. Please check the website in case opening times or event details change.
| Fyvie Castle | Haddo House |
|---|---|
| Friday 17th October at 10:30am and 1:00pm Squirrel Safari | First Saturday in July, August and September at 10:00am, Haddo Garden Yoga |
| Saturday 20th September at 7:00pm, "Emma" the movie. | |
| Sunday 18th October 10:30a,m Fungal foray |
| Pitmedden Garden | |
|---|---|
| Last Sunday June, July, August and September at 10:00am | Pitmeddem Gardening Club |
| Sunday 28th September | Apple Sunday |
| Sunday 26th October at 4:30pm | Family Halloween Trail |
Don't forget Pitmedden Apple Sunday on 28th September. Your perfect autumn day out, with music, food, games, and lots of delicious apples
This year's David & June Gordon Memorial Lecture on Saturday 13th September at 2:30 is Byron: Half a Scot by birth and bred a whole one. Peter Hunter looks at Lord Byron's Aberdeenshire roots and his connections with the Gordons of Haddo, before taking his audience on a journey to his early and heroic death in Greece aged 36. The talk is partly illustrated using rarely seen images of items from Harrow School: sabres and seals, carvings and cartoons, forgeries and freedom fighters.
The links below will take you to the appropriate section of the Haddo Arts website.
Byron: Half a Scot by birth and bred a whole one - Haddo Arts.
The next concert is on Saturday 11th October at 7:30pm when Scottish Opera will present Opera Highlights.
Scottish Opera Opera Highlights - Haddo Arts.
What's on Elsewhere in the area?
| Where | When | What |
|---|---|---|
| Crathes Castle | Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th June at 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm and 3:30pm | Horse Drawn Carriage Tour of Crathes Estate |
| Crathes Castle | Saturday 19th July at 10:00am | Crathes Castle - Tree Collector |
| Crathes Castle | Friday 15th to Sunday 17th August | Family Fun Weekend |
| Where | When | What |
|---|---|---|
| Castle Fraser | 4th or last Saturday of the month April to September at 10:30am | Castle Fraser Gardening Club |
| Castle Fraser | Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd October throughout the day | Family Halloween Trail |
| Where | When | What |
|---|---|---|
| Drum Castle | Tuesday 14th October at 10:00am and 11:30am | Jay for a Day |
| Drum Castle | 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th October, throughout the day | Family Halloween Trail |
More details and tickets for all these events are available from each property's webpage (under the "Events" heading) on the NTS Website. Please check the website in case opening times or event details change.