Duff House
Encyclopedia
Banff, Aberdeenshire
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Within the Deveron Valley lies Duff House, designed by William Adam, built between 1735 and 1740, and widely thought to be one of Britain's finest Georgian houses. Duff House was built for William Duff of Braco
William Duff, 1st Earl Fife
William Duff, 1st Earl Fife was a Scottish peer.The son of William Duff of Dipple, in 1719 he married Janet Ogilvie, daughter of James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater. She died in 1720 and in 1723 he married Jean Grant, daughter of Sir James Grant, Bt...
, who became Earl Fife
Earl Fife
The title Earl Fife was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1759 for the 1st Baron Braco, and though in the Irish Peerage it referred to Fife in Scotland. The 1st Earl had been created Baron Braco, of Kilbryde in the County of Cavan, in 1735, and was created Viscount Macduff at the same time as...
in 1759.
The story of Duff House did not get off to a happy start. Disputes over its building reached such an intensity that Duff never lived here. So acrimoniously did this end that it is said that he never even looked at the completed house, having his carriage blinds drawn whenever he passed by.
In the twentieth century Duff House was in turn a palm court hotel, a sanatorium and a prisoner of war camp. Since 1995 Duff House has been part of the National Galleries of Scotland
National Galleries of Scotland
The National Galleries of Scotland are the five national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries. It is one of the country's National Collections.-List of national galleries:* The National Gallery of Scotland* The Royal Scottish Academy Building...
and houses a range of art treasures and superbly furnished rooms. It also hosts a programme of artistic events and is used as a base for artists and writers.