The Town House, dating from 1747, the Pictish Symbol Stone near the entrance to Kintore Parish Church, and the prehistoric remains on Tuach Hill trace Kintore’s different layers of history. For a stay, you can choose a focus to suit your interests: architectural history, Pictish symbols or early settlement traces. The buildings tell of their former uses, while stone carvings and archaeological remains offer other ways to explore the past.
Architectural history and former uses
The Town House dates from 1747. It housed rooms and offices for the Burgh Council and was also used as a schoolhouse, courthouse and prison. Several functions came together in this one building: its history encompasses administration, education and law. This offers a different perspective on Kintore than simply knowing when it was built, because its former uses reveal the range of its roles.
Kintore Parish Church adds an architectural point of interest. It was built in 1819 to a design by Archibald Simpson. The church contains a sacrament house from an earlier church built on the same site around 1528. Two building phases therefore come together here: the older church, from which the sacrament house came, and the 1819 building. Those interested in historical architecture will find both the name of the designer and an element from the predecessor building here.
Pictish symbols and prehistoric sites
The Kintore Churchyard Pictish Stone is classified as a Class I Pictish symbol stone and is sculpted on both sides. One side depicts a crescent and V-rod above an animal; the other shows a fish above a cauldron. These motifs offer a different focus from architectural history: here, the emphasis is on symbols rather than construction dates and uses. The stone stands near the entrance to Kintore Parish Church, making it an easy landmark to locate. If you compare the two themes, you move from the sacrament house as an element of an earlier church building to a Pictish stone sculpture with its own motifs.
Tuach Hill is home to a prehistoric ceremonial and funerary monument of national importance, possibly a henge. The remains of a stone circle or similar stone setting lie within an enclosure on the hill. Only one stone is still standing upright. The possible classification as a henge remains uncertain, while the single standing stone is a specific feature of the stone setting.
Deer's Den and the surrounding area
At Deer's Den, the prehistoric roundhouses lie immediately beside the site of the Roman marching camp. The roundhouses are of national importance because they can contribute to our understanding of Iron Age society and domestic and agricultural practices in later prehistory. Here, close proximity brings together different historical themes: the roundhouses raise questions about the Iron Age, while the neighbouring camp relates to Roman history. This is especially interesting if you would like to compare settlement and daily life in different periods.
The site of the Roman marching camp at Deer's Den lies west of Kintore town centre. Hallforest Castle is nearby, about 1.5 km away and outside the town centre. The castle was built in the ancient royal forest of Kintore. This building, linked to the forest, adds another historical connection to the archaeological evidence.
Getting oriented and local history
Even the name Boat of Kintore preserves a transport story: it comes from a former ferry that once crossed the Don. The town’s history therefore includes not only buildings and archaeological sites, but also an earlier crossing over the river.
Aberdeenshire Council publishes a dedicated walking and cycling map for Kintore; the associated entry was updated on 13 March 2026. Along with the location details for Deer's Den and Hallforest Castle, it offers a practical starting point for planning how to get around during your stay.
Discover more destinations: Longside, New Aberdour, Newmachar, Cruden Bay, St Cyrus, Logie, Milltimber, Balmedie
For the wider travel overview: Aberdeenshire.
