About 1224 Norman de Leslie received the lands of Caskieben and was doubtless the builder of the Anglo-Norman castle which superseded the old tower (NJ72SE 40). The castle of Caskieben that was enlarged after 1662 by the addition of a Renaissance mansion in front, and renamed Keith Hall, was, however, a fine example of the Z-plan castle, a style which probably originated in the district.
Mither Tap has an astronomical alignment with Caskieben, the hill being due west.
Dr. Arthur Johnston said "the hill of Benochie, a conical elevation about eight miles distant, casts its shadow over Caskieben at the periods of the equinox." This earlier wooden tower was superseded nearby by a 13th-century stone castle also named Caskieben at first, but later renamed Keith Hall. Nothing now remains of a structure, but the mound and moat are still visible.
Keith Hall Keith Hall is situated on a sloping escarpment above the fertile valley of the
River Urie just to the north of its junction with the
River Don in the
Aberdeenshire lowlands and is roughly east of
Inverurie, and north-west of
Aberdeen. Keith Hall incorporates the original Caskieben Castle which was a
Z-plan tower. Between 1696 and 1698,
John Keith, 1st Earl of Kintore added wings and distinctive
ogee capped towers to create a small mansion. Later, plans for alterations were prepared by
William Adam but were not executed. In 1788,
John Paterson made repairs to the structure for the
5th Earl of Kintore. Between 1806 and 1812, architect
John Smith designed alterations for the residence for the
6th Earl of Kintore. The
8th Earl of Kintore commissioned
David Bryce to create additional plans for alterations in 1851, however, they were likely not executed as William Ramage of Aberdeen was paid for work there in 1854. In 1984, the building was completely restored and divided into eight flats and six houses. ==References==