the HISTORY of

INTRODUCTION

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The site of Highland Tay Retreat Golf and Spa Resort near the village of Kenmore in Perthshire, Scotland is steeped in rich history. This legendary status is not just of Scottish importance – it is considered of European, if not world, importance in terms of architecture and it has a Royal connection that is truly unique.

The estate’s origins date back to the 16th century and a history of clan rivalry, untold wealth, a Queen’s honeymoon and even Hollywood awaits… there’s nothing quite like Highland Tay Retreat. We hope you enjoy reading about its past as its future as a premium golf and spa resort is created in the estate.

THE FOUNDATIONS ARE LAID

Highland Tay Retreat’s Taymouth Castle was not actually the first castle to be built on the estate. Hundreds of years before the present day castle was constructed, Balloch Castle stood in its place.

The MacGregor Clan owned the land originally and the chieftain’s tower stood on the wooded knoll that is now occupied by the Dairy but Sir Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Glenorchy, had obtained a grant for the land from the Crown and dually expelled the MacGregor Clan. Those who refused to swear allegiance to the Campbells were executed near Kenmore, the nearby village.

Now being free of his rivals, Sir Colin built Balloch Castle in 1550 and legend has it that a witch advised him to do so where he heard the “first thrush in spring singeth”. This proved to be a meadow where the current castle is located. As a result of all of this, the estate became the principal seat of the Clan Campbell of Breadalbane until 1922.

Balloch Castle was typical of its time in terms of construction, as it was designed in a Z-plan formation - a house with a hall and chamber - but that was changed through the decades by each succeeding Earl, each wanting to leave their mark.

In 1716, William Adam was tasked by the second Earl of Breadalbane, John, to completely remodel the castle as the estate was in a very strong financial position. Two decades later in 1733, a classical mansion house with two flanking pavilions linked to the main block by quadrant wings was completed. It was at this stage that the name of the

castle changed… and Taymouth Castle was born.

ESTATE CREATES ITS IDENTITY

The third Earl of Breadalbane, John, who succeeded his father (also called John) in 1752, concentrated on developing the landscape of the estate. He installed temples and other classical buildings across the grounds that can still be seen in the estate and the surrounding areas today, including the west entrance gate and the White Tower.

In 1805, after various bespoke additions had been made to the castle, the architects Archibald and James Elliot were set the difficult task to completely re-design the castle. Most of the existing structure was demolished and a new, dominating central tower, built in grey-green stone, was completed in 1810 and stands almost unaltered to this day.

The construction of the new castle was so successful that Archibald and James Elliot were commissioned by the then Earl of Breadalbane to design the new interiors. Work started in 1809 after a few delays when the Gothic design of the world-renowned plasterer Francis Bernasconi was accepted. His first work in the castle was the Great Staircase, but the Earl was so delighted with the quality of the craftsmanship that he asked Bernasconi to undertake all the Gothic work associated with the castle.

Come 1818, the 4th Earl wanted to increase the number of bedrooms and replace some of the classic wings originally created by William Adam. The constraints of the Elliot’s central block proved difficult for Adam, but by 1823 work on the East Wing was completed. The West Wing suffered various delays but was completed in 1828. When this was finished, the castle was completely medieval in style.

When the 4th Earl died, the estate passed to his son John Campbell who quickly made alterations to the West Wing as there was no library to hold his huge collection of books. A highly acclaimed architect of the time, James Gillespie Graham, made many alterations and it is widely agreed that this improved the look of the castle. He connected the castle together with a tall Gothic room now called the Banner Hall (see later chapter on the interiors).

Fuelled by competition with aristocratic neighbours, the Earls and subsequent Marquesses of Breadalbane throughout the years were able to count on rich resources to fuel their need for antiquarian and romantic tastes in furnishings. As a result, some woodcarvings and furnishings still in the castle belong to much earlier times than the

castle itself, including shutters in the Baron’s Hall.

THE ROYAL CONNECTION

On the 7th September 1842, the 23 year old Queen Victoria approached the east gate of the estate. According to her own journal, they arrived at the castle entrance at around 5.45pm. She described the valley as she drove in as being very wooded (which is the same today) and beautiful. Once she was through the gate, guarded by Highlanders, she described her first view of the castle as splendid and there was clearly a reception of Highlanders waiting for her, in formation, in front of the house. She described her first impressions of the majestic building as truly princely and romantic.

As she made her journey through the castle to her private quarters, she was impressed with the newly created rooms and described them as being exquisitely furnished. Frequently she referred to the painted ceilings in the Drawing Room and Baron’s Hall and she favourably wrote about the wood carvings she saw, the cheerful nature of her room and the beautiful views of the grounds and hills from her room.

Later she mentions that the fine Gothic Dining Room, as well as her bedroom, had never been used before prior to her visit. After the couple enjoyed their first dinner she explained that the grounds had been illuminated with the words “Welcome — Victoria — Albert”, created with coloured lamps.

Later in the visit she danced in the Banner Hall with around 90 others. She danced the ‘Quadrille’ with Lord Breadalbane and Albert danced with the Duchess of Buccleuch. The Queen was particularly taken with the dancing of Lord Breadalbane’s sister, Lady Elizabeth Pringle, whom she describes as moving in a most peculiar manner – even calling her a little crazy! Clearly she enjoyed this experience and the very floor which the Queen danced on is still in the castle.

Mrs Maule, wife of the Liberal MP for Perthshire, was also a guest at Taymouth Castle during the Royal couple’s visit. She kept a diary of the royal visit. She recalled that the nearby village of Aberfeldy, through which the Queen travelled to get to the estate, was decorated with 2 arches of heather. An additional arch was installed near the castle, with the message ‘Welcome to Breadalbane’.

In Mrs Maule’s writings she gives us a fantastic idea of the sheer scale of the event. According to her, meals were prepared each day for a total of 730 people, made up of members of the Royal household, guests, servants, guards, pipers and estate staff. This was so many people that the castle couldn’t accommodate them all so whilst 300 attendees ate in the castle itself, the rest dinned in nearby locations. Mrs Maule wrote that during the visit 10 oxen; 163 sheep; 9 lambs; 3 calves; 22 red deer; 15 fallow deer; 26 roe deer; 1 pig; a daily supply of fresh fish; 194 brace of grouse; 9 brace of black game; 7 brace

of ptarmigan (a game bird); 2 pairs of capercailzie (a large grouse); 273 chickens; 1200 eggs; 1524 loaves of bread; 9 bolls of oatmeal; 160 gallons of whisky and 900 gallons of ale were consumed.

The Queen and Albert left on the 10th September and continued to tour parts of Scotland, her first visit as the new monarch of the British Isles.

Victoria visited the estate again twenty-four years later whilst travelling. Between her first and second visit however, much had changed. Victoria had lost her beloved Albert and the 2nd Marquess who hosted her original visit had also passed away. In addition, the estate itself was in the middle of a dispute. In fact on her second visit the castle was uninhabited, so she did not stay there. She did however visit the grounds and looked down to the castle, remembering the reception the Royal couple had received back in 1842. On Wednesday 3rd October 1866 Victoria wrote in her journal how deeply emotional she felt doing this. Despite the castle being uninhabited at the time, she commented that it looked unchanged.

When Queen Victoria purchased and then rebuilt Balmoral Castle estate in 1852, which remains in the Royal Family’s ownership today, much inspiration was drawn from the castle at Highland Tay Retreat. In fact, some features seen in Taymouth Castle are considered of higher quality than equivalent features in Balmoral.

THE GREAT STAIRCASE

Legendary ornamental carver and plasterer Francis Bernasconi’s first work on the castle in the early 1800’s is arguably the most impressive. As you enter the castle’s main entrance, the simple carved wooden hallway gives you no indication of the sheer magnificence of what lies just a few metres ahead of you.

As you enter the bottom of the Great Staircase, you can see why it is regarded as the finest Gothic Revival staircase in Scotland, some say in Europe and beyond.

At nearly 100 feet high from the ground floor to the top of its staggering vaulted ceiling decorated with the Campbell Clan shield motifs, this vast vertical space is top lit by the central tower and by ornate candelabra, with walls and niches decorated with displays of shining arms and suits of armour. At the top of the stairs lies the visitor’s book lying on the table; there you will see the signatures of Judi Dench and Billy Connolly, who both starred in a movie filmed in the castle (more on this later).

THE CHINESE DRAWING ROOM

This stunning room is part of a suite of rooms formerly known as the Chinese Rooms as a collective due to their Chinese wallpaper and silk panels. This is the room that received Queen Victoria’s greatest praise.

Here and in the adjoining ‘ante-room’ the beautiful ceilings, painted and gilded in the style of illuminated manuscripts from the fourteenth century and which feature scenes illustrating the family history of the Breadalbanes, have been restored to their original glory.

The original painting took an incredible seven years to complete. When the sunlight streams through the windows, it brings alive the warm, rich lustre of the satin wood panelling. Above the fireplace, the Breadalbane motto “Follow Me” is visible in intricate carved letters. As well as gold gilding on the ceiling mouldings, some have silver ornamentation which does not tarnish.

Making your way through to the Chinese ante-drawing room with its white marble fireplace, you are greeted with another beautiful parquet floor and a mirrored overmantel with fine gold leaf depicting the Breadalbane armorial bearings.

As you leave the ante-drawing room, you pass through a small circular room situated in one of the turrets. If you look up at the ceiling, you will see a small mirror. Allegedly this room was used by the last Lady Breadalbane for gambling and apparently she would bend down to pick something off the floor where she had another mirror hidden, which would reflect her partner’s hands! How true this is in reality is unknown, but it seems logical!

THE BANNER HALL

This room was designed by James Gillespie Graham to provide a route between the two parts of the castle. Although this spacious room was originally intended to be used as a chapel it was actually used a state dining room and given its title because the sides of the room hung large silk banners.

The ceiling in here is quite amazing, depicting 92 coats of arms of the families connected in marriage to the Breadalbanes. The Breadalbane Coat of Arms can be seen in each emblem and on the parquet flooring.

The key feature of the room however has to be the huge fireplace, carved in an almost unbelievable fashion from local chlorite slate. Its intricate 3-dimensional features would be almost impossible to create now, such is the level of expertise involved. At opposing ends of the room lie large stained glass windows. The southern facing window has richly carved wooden screens and some of the glass in this window is medieval, possibly purchased from the auctioneers Christies. The northern facing window records the origins of the Campbell lineage.

The Banner Hall was used for a grand ball during Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s honeymoon visit and four gentlemen dancing Reels (a traditional Scottish country dance) entertained the Queen. In the 1997 film, “Her Majesty, Mrs Brown”, the Banner Hall was used as a sumptuous setting for a ball which took place at Barmoral.

THE GALLERY

Off the Banner Hall, you can enter the gallery, passing three figures carved from wood and said to have been brought from an Italian monastery. They represent reformers in purgatory and date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the library gallery, you will see tall display cabinets now screened with the Campbell tartan.

Before this, these cabinets would have been used to display some of the fine porcelain and silverware belonging to the family.

On the wall to the right are photographs of the last Marquis to inhabit the castle and also one of his wife, Lady Alma. Along at the end of the room there is a large sideboard with a mirror above. The doors of this cabinet are particularly finely carved, however open the doors and look at the carvings on the inside of the doors. You will see that these carvings are much less skilled than those on the outside, the reason for this being that these doors would have been carved by apprentices who were allowed to practise their skills, but not where they would have been seen!

THE LIBRARY

THE ROYAL BEDROOM AND DRESSING ROOM

Like the Banner Room, the library was also used for the film, “Her Majesty, Mrs Brown”. It played the role of the library at Balmoral, the present day Scottish Royal retreat which Queen Victoria built during her reign. In reality, the library at Taymouth Castle is actually finer than the one at Balmoral.

This room reflects the work of James Gillespie Graham at his best. The detailed carving was carried out by “Trotters”, a company from Edinburgh, with the dark brown of the wood adding a fantastic intensity to the abundance of gilding. The ceiling in the library alone is insured for several million pounds. The influence of Pugin – the designer of the House of Lords in London - can be felt in this room, which was home to a very valuable library.

The window at the end of the library features a richly carved shutter door that can be opened out to reveal a double mirror. Lady Breadalbane is reputed to have sat here facing west but the mirror allowed her to see any visitors arriving from the east gate towards the castle entrance.

A secret is revealed in this room too. An imitation of a bookcase opens as a door out of the library through to the apartments occupied by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert during their honeymoon visit in 1842.

If you managed to find the secret door in the bookcase, you will find yourself in perhaps one of the most significant areas in the castle – the rooms in which Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed in. These rooms, including the bedroom and dressing room, are relatively small and modest compared with the ostentatious grandeur of the other state rooms.

When the Queen stayed however, rich tapestries and fires burning in white marble fireplaces would have been present, fitting for such a grand visit.

Dominating the room is the royal bed designed in a French style with ornate twisted panels intricately carved and surmounted by a coronet on each. This was covered with white satin drapery trimmed in lace and gold bullion fringes and tassels.

If you look above to the ceiling, you will see the date of Victoria’s wedding and the Coat of Arms of Albert’s family. Looking to the heart of the fireplace, written in chalk are the words “saxe-coburg”. This is a more modern Royal piece of history as it was actually written by Prince Charles, the son of the current Queen Elizabeth 2nd. This was the traditional name of the Windsor family, which originally descended from German origins.

In the dressing room, which was originally decorated in in green silk damask, the woodcarvings on the doors depict the nativity and the visit of the wise men to the baby Jesus. Lying in the corner of the room is a built-in dressing case made in satinwood, which would have been used by the Royal couple for small items of clothing or jewellery.

THE BREAKFAST ROOM

THE BARON’S HALL

This room was designed in the 1870’s by the Edinburgh firm Peddie and Kinnear – so some time after Queen Victoria’s honeymoon visit.

It features some wonderful woodcarvings including oak leaves and tiny acorns which adorn the top of the dado surrounding the room. At one end is a buffet with integral mirror, flanked by the figures of William Wallace and Queen Margaret (some say that these figures are reputed to be King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella). At the windows are some wooden shutters dating from the reformation period.

The design created in Baron’s Hall is Francis Bernasconi’s work at his most elaborate. The ceiling is formed into three bays of intricate vaulting, which extend to form recesses at each end of the room. In the middle of each bay an oil lantern hangs, designed in a Gothic style. The fireplace, which has remained unaltered, is actually an adaptation of a “funerary monument” fit to grace the most aristocratic of graves. The room is lit by a painted glass window with figures representing the early lairds of Glenorchy, showing their descendants from Duncan Campbell, Knight of Loch Awe, the common ancestor of the great houses of Argyll and Breadalbane.

Around the walls is an elaborate wooden dado which clads the lower walls and consists mainly of late German medieval carvings complemented by some contemporary work incorporating the “B” cipher and heraldic figures of the Breadalbane family including flamingos, eagles, stags and wild boars. Originally three large carved oak Gothic buffets, lined in beautiful crimson velvet, together with a unique sideboard used to stand against the west wall, but now sadly the only piece of furniture remaining is the table. However, it’s really not hard to imagine that it must have been a real spectacle to see this magnificent oak table set with shining crystal and china, lit by countless candelabra placed along its length.

THE ESTATE AT LARGE

Balloch Castle, the original Scottish tower house built in 1550 on the site of Taymouth Castle, was reputed to have been enhanced by various land improvements including the planting of trees. However, it was not until 1717 when the major alterations to the castle were started that the laying out of the grounds began.

The first designed landscape at the estate was laid out in 1720 by William Adam, covering an area of 2,000 acres. Adam was employed initially by the 2nd Earl of Breadalbane to enlarge the house, which he did by adding flanking pavilions to the old castle. This helped create a picturesque view and demonstrated Adam’s great sympathy and understanding for Taymouth. His landscaping plan showed six radiating avenues, each over a mile long which led to the castle. To the south of it around the loop of the river, Adam planted an avenue of trees in a D shape. This shape was divided by three avenues at angles to the castle; one extended the central axis through it and the other two subsidiary ones continued lines set up in the two gardens.

On top of the sharply defined terraces on the banks of the river, Adam planted two long avenues of lime trees. These are known as the North Terrace and the South Terrace. The layout appears in a 1733 painting by James Norie, entitled ‘Birdeye View of Taymouth’. This painting also shows the renovated Tower Castle with its two flanking pavilions designed by William Adam. In 1739, Jan Griffer was employed to make further changes. He removed the long radiating avenues and modified the gardens to accommodate new pavilions. The park had many more individual trees and the overall design was less formal than it was before. A long avenue leading to the loch and a viewing terrace half way up Craig Hill were also adopted.

William Adam’s landscape setting was outstanding and remained the basis of all the later schemes which followed, whereas the pavilions were short lived and were removed some eighty years later when further work was carried out to the castle.

In 1754, Thomas Winter prepared another survey of the grounds and by this time all the formal gardens, the remaining avenue and part of the terrace had been removed. The orchard had been moved to the west of the ridge where the Dairy now stands. The walled garden was also moved to the north east of the Castle adjacent to the Newhall Kennels. Woodland had been planted on both Drummond Hill and Craig Hill. The North and South Terraces were untouched and so was the D formation of trees to the south of the Castle. Between the 1740s and mid-1750s there are several accounts for the supply of seed and garden equipment. In 1754 there is an account for a box of seed from America which is the same year that Peter Collinson supplied five boxes of seed for “nobility and gentry in Scotland”. Collinson imported seed of wild plants mainly from the east coast of America collected by John Bartram. Collinson was also supplying the 3rd Earl’s cousin the Duke of Argyll.

In 1786, the plan of the ‘seat of the Earl of Breadalbane’ was drawn by George Landlands. This shows a much more polished landscape in the informal style. All the formal planting in the glen has been removed and the entire floor turned into a huge park. The extent of the open space is accentuated by clumps of trees and single specimens. The main road had been moved to half way up Taymouth Hill and the entrance drive realigned. Views of the Castle and most of the follies are shown around the plan and these include, the Octagon, the fort, Maxwell’s Building, Star Seat, Apollo’s Temple, Venus Temple, Aeolus Temple and the Recess in the Surprise Walk. The Tower, Chinese Bridge and Ladies Mount were noted on the plan but not illustrated.

In 1760, Richard Pococke visited Taymouth and he describes at some length the walk which he took around the pleasure grounds. It must have been a long walk as it included visiting all the buildings shown in Langlands Plan and the landscape he described was very similar in concept to that of Stourhead, Hagely Hall and Painshill which had all been started at most only ten years before Taymouth. In 1776, William Gilpin was not so impressed as Pococke, “The whole scene is capable of great improvement: but when he saw it, nothing like taste had been exercised upon it”. Although published in 1796 sometime after his visit, William Marshall, in the 2nd edition of his book “Planting and Rural Ornament” describes the 3rd Earl’s pleasure ground at some length. He wrote the “the late Earl… made Taymouth his principal residence… and made great alterations in the place; and considering the day in which they were done (nearly half a century ago, in the early dawn of rational improvements), they remain… proofs of his superior abilities”. In 1782, John the 4th Earl, aged 20 years old, succeeded his grandfather. In 1789, he commissioned Robert Mylne, the Architect to the Duke of Argyll at Inveraray to prepare plans for a new ‘chateau’. These were not executed.

But between 1800 and 1834, the 4th Earl transformed the Castle using various architects including Alexander Nasmyth who drew up proposals for another house and a bridge and William Atkinson who was noted for his interest in gardening.

Throughout the 19th century, there were changes to the designed landscape; some of the 18th century follies were taken away and new structures built in their place. An example of this was the Venus Temple, which was replaced by the Diary.

In 1823, J.C Loudon in his Encyclopaedia of Gardening described Taymouth as the “most magnificent residence in the country… The mountain, lawn and banks of the waters, are richly clothed with wood, through which are led great magnificent walks. Of trees, the limes and larches have attained to a great size, and there is an avenue of the former 450 yards in length, scarcely equalled anywhere.”

40 or so years later, when the first Ordnance Survey plan had been produced, several changes were noticeable across the estate. The kitchen garden had been moved to its present site on the northern banks of Loch Tay, which now lies outside the present estate boundaries. Several additional drives had been created within the estate and new buildings added, including the Monument, Sawmill and Newhall offices and buildings.

In 1862, the 2nd Marquess - who had hosted Queen Victoria’s honeymoon visit – passed away and the United Kingdom titles became extinct. This signalled the end of any real changes across the estate for many years. When the 2nd Marquess died, the succession to the Scottish Earldom was decided in favour of a very distant cousin of his, John Campbell, who became the 6th Earl. A decade later when he passed away the estate was handed to his son, Gavin, who became the 7th Earl (and the 1st Marquess of Breadalbane) but he ended up in a dire situation that meant when he died, his nephew

was forced to sell everything in 1922. No changes of real note happened in the estate that was left other than the golf course construction in the years after as the estate went through its various forms of use. Also most of these woodlands were replanted with conifers and since the 1950s, the Forestry Commission has extended the coniferous plantations further up the hills. Most of the western end of the old larger estate has been absorbed into Kenmore by new development and playing fields have been made to the south of the drive. All of the park on the north side of the river is now grazed with livestock and the trees have been removed. In the 18th century there were over 13 miles of walks around the estate and now, except for the main drive, all the other paths have been abandoned. Most of the follies and the two bridges are derelict and smothered by weeds.

THE GOLF COURSE

In 1925, world-renowned golf course designer James Braid created an 18-hole golf course amongst most of the estate. Up until that point the area mainly covered by the course was grazed by deer and even a herd of bison, although they were later replaced by more appropriate highland cattle..

Once the course was laid out, the golf club was formed. Located to the south of the castle entrance and spreading out east and west across Highland Tay Retreat, the course is considerably challenging. Typical of Braid, he created some surprises throughout the course, such as blind shots and burns. He eventually created over 200 courses, including those at Gleneagles (which hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup) and Carnoustie, both of which are close to Highland Tay Retreat.

The course has been fully restored and is championship length. From the fairways you can see the tops of the Lawers range, the wooded Drummond Hill and the stunning waters of Loch Tay. Surrounding the course are some of the tallest Douglas Fir trees in the world.

ON THE BIG SCREEN

If you have never been to Highland Tay Retreat’s Taymouth Castle, you may have unknowingly witnessed some of it as three of its rooms were used in the 1997 film “Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown” starring Dame Judi Dench and Billy Connolly.

The film’s creators were keen on using authentic locations for the production and this included Taymouth Castle.

Much of the interior of the castle was used to represent that of the Royal residence Balmoral in the film, where Queen Victoria hid herself away in mourning following the death of her husband, Prince Albert.

The ballroom scenes were shot at Taymouth Castle in the Banner Hall, where Victoria had danced on her honeymoon with Albert. In the movie, Queen Victoria (played by Dame Judi Dench) can be seen dancing with John Brown (Billy Connolly) on the very same floor.

This represents another piece of the estates interesting history.

THE MODERN HISTORY

Upon the death of the seventh Earl, Gavin Campbell, the title passed to a nephew who decided to sell the castle and its contents. In 1922 at a week-long public auction, the castle was sold and, sadly, most of its contents were dispersed across the globe. A few years later in 1929 the Mactaggart family acquired the land, and they established the Taymouth Castle Hotel, after having modern refinements that were reputed to cost nearly £100,000 – a huge amount at the time. The park was maintained as an 18-hole golf course, designed by James Braid.

For many years after this, the estate was a very different place indeed from the majestic sight which greeted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1842. She enjoyed the hospitality of the Marquis and Marchioness of Breadalbane so much that she wished to postpone her departure, but unfortunately her duty called and she had to leave south, as planned, to Castle Drummond near Crieff.

During the Second World War, the castle was requisitioned by the government and it was used as a hospital and recuperation centre for Polish soldiers who were injured in the war. Interestingly this is why there are many Polish names to be found in the Aberfeldy area as many of the patients remained and married in Scotland. In 1950 the estate became the headquarters for Civil Defence Training in Scotland. Close to the river at the back of the castle, some of the sheds and barrack-type buildings used during this period remain.

After Civil Defence left, the castle was used for a few years as an international school for American children but this never really proved a success it was closed in the mid-70’s, laying empty for many

years and only surviving thanks to the efforts of the dedicated former caretaker, Norman Chalmers, who received an MBE in 1998 for services to the nation.

A first phase of emergency repairs were carried out in 1993 to the roof of the West Wing and this succeeded in keeping this small but important part of the castle wind and watertight. The golf course has been a success consistently throughout the years and is currently immaculately restored and ready to play.

Within the last 5 years, much restoration has been completed on the castle itself. Due to the building being Grade 2 listed, much of the work had to be done in accordance with Historic Scotland.

The first 2 years of restoration where primarily about ensuring that the building, which had been left dormant for about 3 decades, was structurally perfect. Throughout the castle, the core was stabilised and all the floors were secured. This was to prove an extensive job, as the weather had taken its toll over the years of a structure that had been largely left alone since it was originally built.

RESTORATION PHOTOGRAPHS:

A: The castle’s receives it’s new roof.

B: The incedible plasterwork on the Great Staitcase ceiling during re-painting.

C: Specialists work on the gold leaf restoration.

A

B

C

Over 80 tonnes of lead was removed from the roof of the castle and all the roof was basically rebuilt, with several layers of protection ensuring the castle is extremely well equipped for whatever the weather may bring in the future. On the east side of the castle, over 200,000 slates were removed then redressed and replaced. Throughout the castle, structural re-engineering was carried out.

A team of 10 people worked on the castle windows for 2 years, which included removal, stripping down, re-gluing and re-installing windows throughout the building. Any panels that needed to be replaced had to be sourced from a specialist in Europe, as standard replacements wouldn’t have been acceptable to Historic Scotland due to the glass being too perfect and as a result not matching the original style of the original windows.

Inside the castle, the work was equally as impressive. The huge central tower, created by Francis Bernasconi originally, also needed a substantial amount of work during the restoration. A giant scaffold was constructed all the way up the 100-foot high space and in addition to a substantial clean, much of the paint was replaced in the original formulation and some repairs were carried out to the plasterwork.

In the ornate state rooms, work was also needed and a high level of craftsmanship and specialist materials were needed. This included repairing the ceiling in the library, securing the giant fireplace in the Banner Hall and sourcing replacement fabric in the Chinese rooms from the original supplier – Gainsborough Silk – who still had the original designs recorded.

With detailed restoration inside the castle being undertaken alongside the creation of the hotel suite rooms, the castle and the estate is regaining all of its magnificance.

Content © Highland Tay Retreat / Barrasford and Bird Worldwide 2015. Pictures © Respective owners.