A chance remark from a work colleague led a devoted young Aberdeen couple, architect David Leslie and his wife, Leslie, to buy the ancient ruin of Leslie Castle in north-east Scotland with a view to restoring it to its former glory.
It was the beginning of a love story with the castle that took them and their young family on an incredible journey from facing mountains of rubble and walls on the verge of collapse to creating one of Scotland’s top private hotels.
Along the way they experienced every emotion, from joy to despair and laughter to tears, including major health scares, as they worked tirelessly against the odds to turn their dreams into reality and travelled through history to their Leslie ancestors at the castle which stretches back almost 1,000 years.
Now this amazing story has been told for the first time in a beautifully illustrated new book, titled “Our Labour of Love”, by David and Leslie Leslie, which draws on their original writings, diaries, contemporary correspondence and personal anecdotes to tell the inspiring tale.
They were both born and bred in the beautiful “Granite City” of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. They met and fell in love as young teenagers and married in 1967, going on to have two daughters, Angela and Yvonne, born in the early 1970s.
As a qualified architect, David became group leader architect with the city council in Aberdeen while Leslie established her own business in the city as a professional hairstylist.
But their incredible and painstaking restoration of the ruin of Leslie Castle was to change their lives.
Later, they would both devote their time and energies to regenerate the restored castle as a highly successful Private Hotel while also forging ever-increasing links between the worldwide community of Leslies and their ancestral roots.
David, former Baron of Leslie, sadly died in 2022 but Leslie still lives in their home next to the castle and has produced this splendid book which is a must-read for all lovers of Scottish history and its castles, architecture enthusiasts, Leslie clan members, locals and visitors to the area and anyone who enjoys a stirring love story with a happy ending.
This is a limited run of 500 copies, “Our Labour of Love” is published on 1st July, 2025. A hard-backed quality publication, 193 pages, with colour photographs throughout.
Use the form below to Pre-Order for collection only at the castle from 1st July 2025.
Thank you for bring this beautiful peace of Leslie history back to life.