# Westhall Lodge, Aberdeenshire (heaps of photo's)



## Bax__

I visited here a few months ago, never put the photos up on 28dl as it had been done a few times before. I searched here and noticed it has been reported here before but the pictures are not longer on the report...

Any way Westhall lodge has had a chequered past and finally became a hotel in the 80's but it did not last long....

The converted steading at the rear of the main building contains a surprise...





















Kennels...





Strange Picture...





Stranger place for a cat flap...

























The main building...
































































































This place was on the market a fewmonths ago but I don't know if it sold or not. Due to the state of the roof there are many leaks and it will basically need to be stripped to the bare walls and re-built. It wouldn't surprise me if it mysteriously goes on fire as things do when they are too costly to repair!

Andy


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## Neosea

That's a strange looking building, its got a bit of everything thrown in the design.


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## tonyque2

Hi Bax Interesting pictures - like all of them, but love the wallpaper shot and marvelous fireplace, also the fungi . Super place and doesnt look too trashed as yet ! Thanks for sharing
Cheers Tony


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## wolfism

Looks like you managed to see all the good bits …  The Victorian part of the building has a nice quality of light, helped by the shutters on the windows.

The stag's head moved around a bit: the first time we visited, it was still on the wall, then it ended up in another room, then finally on the floor in the hall.


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## Bax__

wolfism said:


> Looks like you managed to see all the good bits …  The Victorian part of the building has a nice quality of light, helped by the shutters on the windows.
> 
> The stag's head moved around a bit: the first time we visited, it was still on the wall, then it ended up in another room, then finally on the floor in the hall.



Wolfism,

I absolutely s**t myself when I saw it! There was a big sheet of plywood propped against the wall in the hall and for some reason I wanted to look behind it, god knows why. The head was certainly not what I expected to find staring back at me!

Andy


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## Richard Davies

A nice selection of photos/

Yet another chintzy bar for the collection!

The accounting book gives a fairly good idea why it closed down.

Those books & containers look fairly old, but that poster looks like something from Anthena (Sp?)


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## wolfism

Bax__ said:


> … I absolutely s**t myself when I saw it!


Yes, I guess it would give you a bit of a start if you weren't expecting it. A bit like the headless mannikin in one of the stairwells at Broadford Works – somebody had moved it in between explores, and I bowled around the corner to find a figure lying face down on the steps. All sorts of things flashed through my mind …

Richard, yep, it looks like an Athena poster – vaguely surrealist, heavily airbrushed!


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## Bax__

Richard Davies said:


> A nice selection of photos/
> 
> Yet another chintzy bar for the collection!
> 
> The accounting book gives a fairly good idea why it closed down.
> 
> Those books & containers look fairly old, but that poster looks like something from Anthena (Sp?)



Richard,

Yeh the place closed in the 80's that may explain the poster in the flat that may have been staff accomodation. The books I guess were taken from the hotel itself and are dumped in one of the stores.

It's a great place to visit and the neighbours don't mind you accessing the place, I got a wave from the farmer next door!

Andy


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## Foxylady

Wow! That'a a fabulous place. So many interesting things to see, as Neosea said, from different eras. I do like the bar...it's like something out of The Wicker Man. 
Love the old servant bells and the box of books amongst other things...and that little stone walled corner with the two wooden chairs in is something to die for!


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## mr_bones

info and pictures taken from an old brochure (one of hundreds) found in an office


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## Pincheck

yeh its a nice building if a bit strange, not the location i would have picked and the main reason i bought 2 spare batteries when Wolfism took me nad mine died after only a few about 24 pics . Nice pics


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## fire*fly

it looked like fun, loved seeing the brochure pics also


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## Bryag

Nice pics Bax. Zimbob and I visited here when we did the ops block at Boyndie, but it was shut up tight! All we could access was the outbuildings and the swimming pool.






I took this photo of me in the pool that I thought would look quite cool, but in hindsight just looks a bit cheesy!


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## Bax__

Well at least you weren't pretending to swim!

The place was for sale at the tale end of last year so maybe it has sold and the new owner has tightened things up a bit. It was on the market for £850,000 which seemed f**king cheap for the land alone!


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## Alir147

Just a wee update for you all....

The castle is now tighter than a gnats chuff (thanks to defqon for that expression!) - and is now in the process of being stripped! I think they got a wee wrap round the nuckles from historic scotland.

Had some good exploring times there!


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## wolfism

I hope somebody saved the stag's head …


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## Alir147

Well if I see it out on the heap that they've made of all the cookers and interior stuff... then Il warn ya's and first one there gets to keep it!


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## Bax__

Alir,

I was with your beeatch Gorecki the day I took these, she was a great tour guide, we also did Ladysbridge the same day too. Any word of what's actually happening with Westhall Lodge? Hotel or apartments maybe?

Andy


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## Alir147

Well... i've heard many many rumours from different people... but the two that seem most possible at the moment are

- the man who tried to apply to make it in to a golfing place years a go has now bought it and it will become a golf resort hotel

- a very rich lady bought it in auction after someone pulled out!

Basically, it's been very well secured and the stripping out process has definitely started! Seems the site may be getting more official visits than before.

**EDIT**

Oh yeah I remember her saying! Aye she woulda made a good tour guide - and I bet you got shown the pickles aye? 

Despite a change of owner since I first went in - stuff has gradually been getting stripped over time anyway. I mean, the old photograph of the laird was only there on my first ever visit back in Summer! I guess it woulda still been there when wolfism and lost went in - but after that - no sign at all


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## Bax__

**EDIT**

Oh yeah I remember her saying! Aye she woulda made a good tour guide - and I bet you got shown the pickles aye? 

Pickles - Check! I'd seen them on 28dl and she couldn't wait to show me and take even more photo's of them! Did I read that they went missing too? If so was the Pickle thief ever caught?


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## Alir147

Bax__ said:


> **EDIT**
> 
> Oh yeah I remember her saying! Aye she woulda made a good tour guide - and I bet you got shown the pickles aye?
> 
> Pickles - Check! I'd seen them on 28dl and she couldn't wait to show me and take even more photo's of them! Did I read that they went missing too? If so was the Pickle thief ever caught?



lol they did go missing - but guess who found them...... yep! Gorecki! 

She has some sort of connection to them! No kidding!


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## BrickMan

mintage! haven't seen this before!

looks like it was once great, but rising costs killed it 

hopefuly it might get done up! I know of a lot of smaller castle type houses in the south of scotland that are getting some much needed cash to restore them to at least a watertight condition!


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