Aberdeenshire Farming Museum

Long famed for high quality Aberdeen-Angus cattle, the North East contains a quarter of Scotland’s arable land and consequently farming is an essential feature of rural life. The award-winning Aberdeenshire Farming Museum at Aden Country Park brings alive the story of this famous farming past in the unique semi-circular Aden Estate home farm.

New displays installed this year include local foundries and the farm machinery they made, modern farming methods for animal husbandry and traps and vermin control.

Visit the delightful country park location with children's play area and woodland walks.

Aberdeenshire Farming Museum has been approved as a Recognised Collection of National Significance by the Scottish Museums Council (SMC).

Start at the unique, semi-circular Home Farm steading by exploring the Aden Estate Story and the "Weel Vrocht Grun" exhibitions.

Visit Hareshowe, a working farm set in the 1950s.

• See the reconstructed interior of the Horseman's House
• Temporary Exhibitions
• Education Room available
• Theatre available for booking

Secret War

This exhibition is about the secret role that many Aberdeenshire farmers played in the Cold War. In 1947 political conditions between the communist state of the USSR and the countries of the West were at a difficult stage. There was the real fear that there could be a nuclear war and the political conflict became called the COLD WAR.

As a result the government re-formed the Royal Observer Corp and many people from the farming community joined up. Initially they concentrated on aircraft reporting and tracking but in 1955 the Corps started to take on a new role. 

Due to improvements in ground radar Fighter Command no longer needed plane spotting but there was a real need for recording the dropping of nuclear bombs and the power of the bombs.

This role was given to the Corps directed by Air Defence Operations Centres and other key military establishments. 
Across the UK underground monitoring posts were created and 31 Group Controls (operations rooms) were staffed by 17,500 part-time volunteers.

The story of what the Corps did in this period and what it was like to be part of this “Secret Line of Defence” is told in this exhibition.