In 1898 Colonel James Ogston, a prominent businessman from Aberdeen who had made his fortune making soap, purchased Kildrummy Estate. The original medieval castle, which is believed to have been built around 1245, was not habitable and so he commissioned plans for a new house (now Kildrummy Castle Hotel) to replace the existing house, known as “Gordon Lodge” which was moved to the neighbouring Ardhuncart Estate, using the noted Scottish architect Alexander Marshall Mackenzie who is famed for designing Crathie Kirk for the Royal Family, Mar Lodge on Deeside and the Waldorf Hotel in London.
The Ogston family coat of arms are still prominently displayed throughout the building.