Ury or Urie House is an immense roofless Tudor Gothic pile, which overlooks the A90 Trunk Road 1½ miles (2.5 km) northwest of Stonehaven. It was built in 1855 for iron-founder Alexander Baird of Gartsherrie by the Glasgow-based architect John Baird (1798 - 1859), replacing a late 17th-century house which had been home to the Barclay family. Baird had bought the estate on the death of Captain Robert Barclay-Allardice (1779 - 1854), who was a noted athlete. Prior to this, the lands had been in the possession of the Keith (Earls Marischal) and Hay families.
Ury comprises three storeys with an off-centre square entrance tower and porte-cochère facing north. It was the largest mansion in the area and its elevated position offers excellent views to the south and east across Stonehaven and Stonehaven Bay. The house was extended in 1884 by Alexander Ross (1834 - 1925) for Sir Alexander Baird (1849 - 1920), who was a colonial administrator in Egypt. This involved the construction of an eastern wing which features crow-stepped gables. Ury was abandoned in 1945 with the roof removed. It was B-listed in 1990. Various schemes for restoration and re-use have been put forward, but none so-far have received planning permission.
