page_title: Kindrogan House
section_title: History of the Kindrogan estate
hierarchical_section_title: Kindrogan House / History of the Kindrogan estate
caption_attribution_description: English: "Queen Vic" plaque near Kindrogan
context_page_description: Kindrogan House is located near Enochdhu, Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross in Moulin parish, at the head of Strath Ardle, 7 miles ENE of Pitlochry and 2 ¹⁄₂ miles northwest of Kirkmichael. It is run by the Field Studies Council.
context_section_description: Kindrogan Estate was anciently the property of the Robertson and Reid families. Later it was owned by the Small Keir family, passing by marriage from the Small's of Dirnanean and then through the marriage of Jane Amelia Keir to Captain Francis Balfour of Fernie Castle in Fife to the Balfour family. The Balfours purchased Dirnanean in 1926, and upon the marriage of Francis to Katherine Dolby in 1930 they moved residence to that estate, letting Kindrogan to Sir George and Lady Dolby for their summer home. The Balfours returned to Kindrogan after WWII and remained until 1960 when the estate was purchased by the Forestry Commission, and sold on to the current owners, the Scottish Field Studies Association in 1963 after a short spell as a country house hotel. The family or laird's graveyard lies on the slopes of Kindrogan Hill.
  A plaque beside the path running from the house to the Enochdhu Lodge beside the River Ardle records that Queen Victoria once stopped here for tea on an excursion from Dunkeld to Spittal of Glenshee.
  Another eminent visitor to Kindrogan House was Lord Cockburn, a circuit judge, and frequent guest of the Keirs.
  The 1850s 6-inch (150 mm) Ordnance Survey map shows a bowling green to have been situated near the walled garden in the sunken area running down to the River Ardle and a summer houses lay on a path down from the family burial ground.
  In the 1880s Patrick Small Keir, Esq. (b. 1810), held the 10,000 acres (40 km²) estate, valued at £2445 per annum.
  A number of fine trees and avenues survive from in the old estate policies, including several fine Wellintonias, oaks, limes lining the main drives, yews and specimen sycamores beside the River Ardle. Red squirrels are still common (2009) and the river has many hazels, birches and alders on its banks.
caption: Queen Victoria Plaque Near Kindrogan
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