AN 800-year-old castle is set for a transformational £5 million refurbishment.
Fyvie Castle near Turriff in Aberdeenshire – which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland – is an A-listed property and is set to undergo essential conservation work.
This includes addressing “critical issues” including decay to stonework and damage to the delicate 16th Century finials which top the castle turrets.
The Old Farm complex, which is on the site and appears on the Buildings at Risk Register, will also be saved and turned into a visitor centre.
The plan – developed with Page\Park architects – is expected to take at least a decade, with the first phase to be completed by 2027.
Phil Long, the chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland, said: “Fyvie has been at the centre of Scottish powerplay for much of its eight centuries, hosting formidable dynasties, siege and intrigue, serving for a time as a royal nursery, as well as being caught up in the civil strife of the troubled 17th century when a battle was fought in its grounds and it was later occupied by Cromwellian troops.”
He added: “Each of the five owning families evolved the castle’s architecture, changing its appearance and purposes.
“Beginning as a royal stronghold, it eventually became the home and playground of the locally born Alexander Forbes-Leith who, with his American wife Marie-Louise, and the fortune they acquired through their business in the USA, restored and expanded the building and filled it with treasures which now make it home to one of the great art collections of Scotland.
“Now, through this masterplan, the National Trust for Scotland is taking the castle, gardens and grounds into their next era, conserving them for future generations and making them more accessible and engaging to all, under our care for the benefit of the nation.”
