Blaze hits centuries-old mansion house

A building dating back to the sixteenth century has been damaged in a blaze.

The fire broke out at around 5pm yesterday at Tertowie House, in Kinellar, a rural town on the outskirts of Aberdeen.

Four appliances, with a total of 44 firefighters, were at the scene at the height of the blaze.

Two units are still at the site, and are dampening down the fire.

A joint investigation between police and Grampian Fire and Rescue is expected to be launched into the cause of the fire.

Grampian Fire and Rescue said they believed the house was unoccupied at the time and the cause of the blaze is not yet known.

A spokesman said one wing of the building was “particularly badly” damaged, but the rest of the house was “pretty much intact”.

The listed house, which had fallen into disrepair, dates from the sixteenth century, but was remodelled in the nineteenth by Aberdeen architect James Matthews.

A nuclear bunker was later built on the site, to provide a safe haven for councillors and officials in times of emergency.

The property was bought by Aberdeen City Council in 1944 and has been used by Aberdeen College.