There are currently four key areas of archaeological interest within the Country Park boundaries, a Neolithic site, the Mansion House, the remains of a T-shaped building, and WWI practice trenches. Significant archaeological excavation and assessment have been carried out at these sites, where a wide range of schools, archaeological groups, university students, and the general public all helped to volunteer and engage with the park’s archaeological heritage.

Aden Country Park has a charming balanced landscape which has been shaped over the years by agricultural land use, and the historical planting fashions associated with the former owners of the estate. Many of these features still exist today, including informal woodland, managed parkland, rhododendron-lined paths, Victorian arboretum, wildflower meadows, and secluded gardens, with many areas of the park considered to be of high potential habitat value.

Aden’s history is a fascinating one. Aden (pronounced Aa-den), meaning bonnie burn or brae, is a 230-acre country park which has a rich agricultural heritage dating as far back to the Neolithic period. From this early settlement to the first known recording of Aden occurring in the Book of Deer manuscript, to the ownership by the Comyn, Keith, and latterly the Russell family, Aden has always provided its people with an agricultural livelihood.

The farming heritage of the park dates back to Neolithic times when people foraged for fruits and berries, domesticated cattle, and were considered to be the first farmers. From this era on, Aden continued to provide an agricultural lifestyle for the people working the land. This is clearly demonstrated through the courtyard steading buildings, one of the finest examples in Scotland of a symmetrically planned farm building complex. Aden’s farming heritage is also visible when visiting Hareshowe Farm.

With a diverse range of species which includes a huge variety of nesting and migrating birds, a wealth of aquatic and land invertebrates, amphibians and mammals, resident roe deer, and even osprey, Aden offers safe and easily accessible places for families and children to observe and engage with wildlife. Many of the species found at Aden are included on the Scottish Biodiversity List and Local Biodiversity Action Plans which identify the species and habitats of the highest priority for biodiversity conservation in Scotland and within the Northeast.  

The Book of Deer is a rare example of a pocket gospel book and is possibly Scotland’s oldest manuscript and includes the earliest surviving example of written Scots Gaelic in the world within its margins. As the only pre-Norman manuscript from this area known as “former Pictland,” it provides us with a unique insight into the early church, culture and society of this period. Amid the Latin text and the Celtic illuminations, there can be found the oldest pieces of Gaelic writing to have survived from early Medieval Scotland. 

In the Spring of 1997 Aberdeenshire Council commissioned the conversion of the derelict old laundry house building in Aden Country Park into a home for its digital North East Folklore Archive and Recording Studio. NEFA, the North East Folklore Archive is an internet resource for the study and appreciation of the cultural heritage, traditions, and social history of North East Scotland. Although originally housed in the old laundry building, NEFA is now purely an on-line resource.