Leith Hall, Garden & Estate NTS

Leith Hall, Garden & Estate NTS Leith Hall was built over three centuries, starting in 1650, and remained the home of the Leith-Hays.
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Built in 1650, Leith Hall was very much a family home, lived in, used and altered to meet the family’s needs for nearly three hundred years. The Hall, gardens, wider estate and much of the original collection came to the Trust in 1945. Never having been sold and remaining in the same family for ten generations, it offers a rare glimpse of the changing aspirations, needs and tastes of the middle-ranking gentry and a fascinating insight into the Leith-Hay family. The stunning gardens here are one of the Trust’s hidden gems. From the top of the garden there are spectacular views of Aberdeenshire and the surrounding hills. At 186m above sea level it is the highest altitude garden in the National Trust for Scotland's care and boasts a coldest recorded temperature of -28oC! But the south-facing slope of the garden makes it an ideal location for many plants from all over the world to thrive. The remarkable herbaceous and catmint borders that run either side of the zigzag path are one of the longest of their kind in Scotland, at nearly 100m. Other features include the rock garden, vegetable garden and the Moon Gate – a rare focal point along the wall of the east garden. Leith Hall estate also has a lot to offer any visitor with three well marked trails through gorgeous scenery packed full of wildlife that is easy for you to see at any time of year. Take a relaxed walk around the pond and take a minute to sit and enjoy the view or take a detour up to the bird hide to see the upper pond where ducks like Teal overwinter. Make sure to look out for signs of the Otter that occasionally visits. For a longer walk the Kirkhill trail will take you out to some of the surrounding countryside and you'll have a chance to explore the history of the Leith-Hay family in the old kirkyard. A trip up the Craigfall trail will treat you to an overall view of the Leith Hall estate along views over to Tap o'north, Dunnydeer hill and Bennachie. Keep an eye out on this page for all the events that are happening over the coming season!

📜 Book of the Week!Published in 1718, Interviews in the Realms of Death turns history into a series of imagined conversa...
06/09/2026

📜 Book of the Week!

Published in 1718, Interviews in the Realms of Death turns history into a series of imagined conversations between deceased rulers and statesmen. Figures such as Leopold I and Louis XIV are made to revisit their lives, rivalries, and political decisions from the afterlife, where earthly power has disappeared, but judgement remains.

Motives could be questioned, decisions challenged, and political legacies fought over, long after the people themselves were gone — exposing reputation itself as something unstable. Freed from the ceremonies and hierarchies of court, the dead are left to defend their actions, and legacies, to one another. Death, it would seem, did little to settle an argument.

As part of ongoing collections care at Leith Hall, our team are currently cataloguing, cleaning, and assessing the condition of the historic library collection. Visitors can observe this process taking place on Fridays in the Oval Room.

🥕🍂🥕September veg garden deliciousness! 🥕🍂🥕Check out what the tearoom has created with this week's garden haul. Specials...
03/09/2026

🥕🍂🥕September veg garden deliciousness! 🥕🍂🥕
Check out what the tearoom has created with this week's garden haul.

Specials include;
💛Runner Bean Piccalilli & Cheese Toastie
💚Redcurrant & Pear Cake
🤎Nutella & Vanilla Cupcakes*

Henrietta's Tearoom is open Thursday - Sunday, 10:30 - 3:30, throughout September.

*No garden produce was harmed in the making of these.

We Made History at Leith Hall on Sunday! The rain stayed away and, despite the grass being a little damp, we enjoyed a b...
03/09/2026

We Made History at Leith Hall on Sunday!

The rain stayed away and, despite the grass being a little damp, we enjoyed a brilliant session of cricket at the Hall on Sunday.

It was wonderful to see so many children and families getting involved and having fun. The children vs parents matches provided plenty of laughs, with one young lad especially delighted after catching his own dad out!

The day marked two special milestones. As far as we know, this was the first cricket match to be held at Leith Hall since 1937 and the first time girls have played cricket here.

A huge thank you to Huntly Cricket Club for making this happen and to everyone who took part. Here's to doing it all again next year!

📜 Book of the Week! Among the volumes recently catalogued at Leith Hall is a difficult but revealing work, James MacQuee...
30/08/2026

📜 Book of the Week!

Among the volumes recently catalogued at Leith Hall is a difficult but revealing work, James MacQueen’s The Colonial Controversy. Published in 1825 in opposition to the abolitionist movement, the book sought to influence government and public opinion by presenting immediate emancipation as a threat to Britain’s economic interests. Rather than defending slavery in abstract terms, MacQueen framed the issue around prosperity, property, and political stability.

The book is particularly significant in relation to Andrew Leith-Hay, seventh Laird of Leith Hall, who later served as Liberal MP for Elgin Burghs. Andrew voted in favour of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, but his support was reluctant and remained shaped by racist and paternalistic views. While the book’s presence at Leith Hall does not prove that he owned or endorsed it, it reminds us that support for abolition could coexist with deeply entrenched beliefs in racial inequality.

As part of ongoing collections care at Leith Hall, our team are currently cataloguing, cleaning, and assessing the condition of the historic library collection. Visitors can observe this process taking place on Fridays in the Oval Room.

We've got some sunny specials for you in the tearoom this weekend!🥪 Runner bean, spring onion, walnut and goat’s cheese ...
28/08/2026

We've got some sunny specials for you in the tearoom this weekend!

🥪 Runner bean, spring onion, walnut and goat’s cheese toastie
✨ Red currant & Brie scone
🧁 Vanilla ‘99 cupcake (WF)
✨ Rocky road
🥕 Carrot top and tattie soup
✨ Spring onion scones
🥪 Tuna, pickles, redcurrant & cheese toastie

Henrietta's Tearoom is open Thursday - Sunday, 10:30 - 15:30

📜 Book(s) of the Week!This week's highlight is The Lady’s Magazine; or, Entertaining Companion for the Fair S*x, held in...
23/08/2026

📜 Book(s) of the Week!

This week's highlight is The Lady’s Magazine; or, Entertaining Companion for the Fair S*x, held in three volumes dating from 1773 to 1775. Produced for a female readership, the magazine brought together literary, educational, moral, domestic, and entertaining material, alongside folding plates of decorative needlework patterns.

One of the best-known women’s periodicals of the period, it offers valuable insights into the subjects, accomplishments, and social expectations presented to women readers, and how these were promoted and reinforced through print. At the same time, the variety of its contents suggests that women were not simply passive recipients of these ideals, but active readers who could apply, adapt, or reinterpret them within their own lives.

As part of ongoing collections care at Leith Hall, our team are currently cataloguing, cleaning, and assessing the condition of the historic library collection. Visitors can observe this process taking place on Fridays in the Oval Room.

🏏Anyone for Cricket? 🏏For generations, the lawns of Leith Hall echoed to the sound of summer cricket as local schoolboys...
23/08/2026

🏏Anyone for Cricket? 🏏

For generations, the lawns of Leith Hall echoed to the sound of summer cricket as local schoolboys faced the estate foresters in an annual match. The last recorded game took place in 1937, before many of those young players left for lives shaped by the years that followed.

This August, cricket returns to Leith Hall for the first time in almost nine decades.

In partnership with Huntly Cricket Club we're delighted to host a Soft Ball Cricket Festival for young players, bringing a new generation onto the historic grounds where cricket was once a much-loved summer tradition.

Whether you're a lifelong cricket fan or simply looking for a great family day out, come along, bring a chair or picnic rug, and enjoy an afternoon in the beautiful parkland setting of Leith Hall. Watch the excitement unfold, cheer on the players, and experience the timeless pleasures of cricket in one of Aberdeenshire's most picturesque locations.

Henrietta's Tearoom will be open throughout the day serving refreshments, home baking and treats.

📍East Lawn, Leith Hall
Sunday 30 August 2026
10am - 2pm
Soft Ball Cricket Festival
Family friendly • All welcome

Join us as we celebrate the return of cricket to Leith Hall and help create a new chapter in a story that began generations ago.

"The foresters may be gone, but the sound of cricket returns to Leith Hall."

🫜🌹Thank you to everyone who joined Anna for the garden tours this season. She will be back next year! 🌹🫜In the meanwhile...
22/08/2026

🫜🌹Thank you to everyone who joined Anna for the garden tours this season. She will be back next year! 🌹🫜

In the meanwhile we have some lovely garden-centric events coming this September.

6th - Forest Therapy with Sarah Stevens
26th - Herbs, Garden & Tea

👆Click on the links above for more details or check out our Eventbrite page for all upcoming events 👇

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/leith-hall-garden-amp-estate-33806233645

Despite the weather we've got some sunny specials for you in the tearoom this weekend! 🌦️🫜Garden Redcurrant Reuben Toast...
20/08/2026

Despite the weather we've got some sunny specials for you in the tearoom this weekend! 🌦️

🫜Garden Redcurrant Reuben Toastie (with Sauerkraut & Pastrami)
🍓Strawberry & White Chocolate Scone
🌹Venison Chilli & Cheese Toastie

Henrietta's Tearoom is open Thursday - Sunday, 10:30 - 15:30. We are currently looking for someone to join our friendly team! Check out https://www.nts.org.uk/volunteering-jobs/job-search/north-east for more details. Applications open till 5pm Sunday 23rd of August.

Address

Leith Hall
Kennethmont
AB544NQ

Opening Hours

Thursday 10:30am - 3:30pm
Friday 10:30am - 3:30pm
Saturday 10:30am - 3:30pm
Sunday 10:30am - 3:30pm

Telephone

+441464831216

Website

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