Duff House

Duff House stands on the edge of the historic burgh of Banff in Aberdeenshire, an imposing Georgian Baroque mansion designed by William Adam and begun in 1735 for William Duff, later the first Earl of Fife. The house's symmetrical facade, with its corner towers and richly carved stonework, is regarded as one of Adam's finest country house designs, though the project was famously cut short following a bitter dispute between architect and patron that left the wings unbuilt.

Today Duff House is run as a country house gallery in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council. Its rooms display significant works from the national collection, including paintings by El Greco, Allan Ramsay, Henry Raeburn and François Boucher, hung alongside fine period furniture, tapestries and decorative arts that suit the scale and character of the interiors. Highlights include the grand staircase, the vestibule and the elegantly proportioned drawing rooms on the principal floor.

The wider estate offers riverside and woodland walks along the River Deveron, taking in features such as the Bridge of Alvah, the mausoleum and the icehouse. Banff itself, with its narrow streets of vernacular buildings, lies a short walk away, making Duff House a convenient combined visit for those exploring the Moray Firth coast.