Kemnay House

During the 16th century, Kemnay was a property of the Douglases of Glenbervie. It was later acquired by the Crombie family, who built the present tower house in the 17th century. In 1682, George Nicolson of Cluny purchased the Kemnay House and estate from Alexander Strachan of Glenkindie. On 5 July 1682, he was appointed a Senator of the College of Justice and subsequently adopted the title Lord Kemnay. Thomas Burnett of Leys purchased it from him in 1688; Thomas was subsequently imprisoned in the Bastille, Paris, at the instigation of Jacobite enemies. Alterations, including the extension of the wings, took place in 1833. The house is still occupied.

The original tower house was a tall L-plan building. The entrance, in the re-entrant angle, and originally surmounted by a stair turret rising from the second floor, has been replaced. There is a vaulted basement, with the kitchen in the wing.