Raemoir House

Raemoir House is a Category B listed Georgian mansion house located in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Its origins date back to the Ha'Hoose (Hall House) which was built in 1715 during the Georgian Era. Raemoir changed hands a number of times and remained a private residence until 1943, when it became a hotel. Over the centuries Raemoir has been renovated a number of times. The prominent architect John Smith even contributed to Raemoir's present appearance. Today Raemoir House is run by Neil and Julie Rae, who acquired the property in 2010 and ran it as a hotel and events venue for some years. Since 2017, Raemoir House has been an exclusive use venue for weddings, events and house parties.

The Ha'Hoose and early history
The Ha'Hoose was constructed in 1715 for the Hogg family, although the Ha'Hoose could date back to as far as 1520. The Hoggs may have gained the land due to the marriage of James Hogg and Margaret Skene (daughter of Robert Skene of Raemoir). The Ha'Hoose is also featured on the Roy Military Map 1747–55.

The Battle of Corrichie
The Battle of Corrichie took place on October 28, 1562, between the forces of Mary Queen of Scots and George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly. The Earl of Huntly rebelled against Mary and she marched to Aberdeen to put the rebellion down. The rebels were soundly defeated and the Earl of Huntly died of apoplexy in captivity.

This battle took place only a couple of miles from the Ha'Hoose. Today a landmark known as the Queen's Chair exists behind Raemoir House. It is a rock from which Mary was said to have watched the battle at a safe distance. Although it has deteriorated over the years, the rock is still there to this day.

The Ha'Hoose fell out of use as a main residence when the far larger and grander Raemoir House was constructed. It is now used as additional accommodation for events and weddings taking place at the main house.

Raemoir House
The word Raemoir comes from the Scottish Gaelic words 'Reidh' which means flat land and 'Moir' which means long. The house itself was built in 1817 and was extended in 1844 by John Smith. Smith's commissioned alterations included the creation of the West Wing of the house. Smith is well known for his use of Classical architecture which can be observed at Raemoir today as well as in Aberdeenshire more widely.

Smith's work in Aberdeen was so seminal that it is still referred to as 'The Granite City' in honour of Smith's contributions to its buildings, bridges and Churches.

After Smith Dr William Kelly undertook extensive work on the house including the creation of the dining room and the kitchen beneath in 1923 for the Cowdray Family, who he had an extensive working relationship with. Although by this time he was an old man, he continued to consult on the renovations of Raemoir House as well as Dunecht House until his death in 1944.

Due to financial issues, James Hogg eventually lost ownership of Raemoir House. The Innes family then took ownership of Raemoir from the Hoggs and kept ownership of Raemoir until 1921 when it was sold to the Cowdrays.

The Innes Family
In 1816 William Innes purchased Raemoir from the Hogg family after he made his fortunes as a merchant in London. His son Alexander, the Second Innes of Raemoir extended Raemoir House after his son Alexander, the Third Innes of Raemoir, was born in 1846. Having a guaranteed successor allowed the Innes to undertake the ambitious renovations. These included a new addition to the East Wing of the building as well as the creation of the third floor.

Due to the death of Alexander, the Second Innes of Raemoir and his son (also Alexander), the Third Innes of Raemoir, within a year of each other Alexander, the Fourth Innes of Raemoir and his siblings were both orphaned and forced to mortgage Raemoir due to the crippling financial struggles caused by having to pay Death Duty.

Alexander, the Fourth Innes of Raemoir died in World War I in 1915 at the age of 43. He left his estate to his younger brother James William Guy Innes who joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16. Innes inherited the estate but did not inherit his brother's money or household items. As a result of this he was forced to sell Raemoir to the Cowdrays in 1921.

The Cowdrays
Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray gained ownership of Raemoir House in 1921. He was a Liberal Party Politician and served as MP for Colchester from 1895 to 1910 after which time he was raised to the House of Lords as Baron Cowdray. In 1917 Cowdray became a sworn member of the Privy Council under David Lloyd George and briefly served in a Ministerial role as a Secretary of State. The Secretary of State for Air was in charge of the Royal Air Force.

Cowdray only agreed to take this posting provided he receive no salary, and his request was granted. Despite increasing output of aircraft by three times during his tenure Cowdray resigned in November 1917. He never held office again and spent the remainder of his life dedicated to philanthropy.

Modernity
In 1943 the sisters Peggy Jordan and Kit Sabin came into ownership of Raemoir House and for the first time it was converted into a hotel. They were known for hosting retreats for actors who had performed in His Majesty's Theatre. According to Raemoir House's official website the house hosted many familiar faces over the years. "The hotel played host to Royalty, Politicians, travelling dignitaries as well as TV stars of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and an array of media greats such as Oasis, Van Morrison, Cliff Richard, Ronnie Corbett and Hollywood actor Charlton Heston all of whom earned it the reputation of being the “Claridge’s of the North”, a reference to the famous hotel in Mayfair."In 2010 Neil Rae and his wife Julie took over Raemoir House and it has been in their hands ever since, however the building and grounds remains under the ownership of Dunecht Estates. Originally they kept Raemoir as a hotel but since 2017 the house has been an exclusive use venue, available for hire for weddings, events and large gatherings.