Food for thought for Historic Scotland
Let me congratulate you on the cover picture of the May issue. The gatehouse of Tolquhon Castle makes a dramatic image, and the subtle shades of blue, green, reddish-brown and ochre in the stonework makes this one a masterpiece.
Congratulations are also due to Mark Chalmers for his splendid article on the castle. I heartily endorse his pleas to bring it back to life by re-roofing it and turning it once again into a usable home.
A start has been made by re-roofing the small cap-house in the main block, but when I asked the woman at the reception desk when the rest would be done, the usual story was trotted out. Preservation, and not restoration, was the policy of Historic Scotland, and moreover the necessary funds were not available, most of their money being spent on properties in the Central Belt.
When we look at what has been achieved from ruins such as Aboyne, Balfluig, Towie-Barclay, Leslie, Harthill, Udny, Pitfichie, Terpersie, Tillycairn, Tilquhillie, Forter and Fraserburgh’s Wine tower, all of them North-East tower houses restored within living memory, Historic Scotland’s policy becomes nonsense. If private money can achieve the above, surely the nation can do likewise with the three or four North-East properties in its case.
At Tolquhon the main block, gallery and gatehouse are all crying out to be restored, although the round tower at the north-west corner would require a bit of re-building. Likewise the courtyard block at Dunnottar, plus the lower floors of Benholm Lodging, which already has a roof, could easily be restored.
Glenbuchat is complete to the wallhead and would be a lost less expensive to restore than most of the above-mentioned castles, but the one I would most dearly like to see restored is the palace block at Huntly.
With its magnificent row of oriel windows and heraldic panels above the entrance described as the finest in Britain, this one could become the jewel in our crown. The upper part of the entrance stair-tower and a turret at the south-east corner would have to be rebuilt, but this would be quite an easy task when compared to what Colin Wood has done with Pitfichie.
Surely it is not beyond the means of Historic Scotland to liaise with the local councils to inaugurate fund-raising projects – lotteries, concerts and ceilidhs. I am sure a cause such as this would receive enthusiastic support from our local communities.
Sandy Cheyne,
Newtonhill.