Consolidating a clifftop ruin:

Dunnottar Castle

Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Our role: Contractor
Client: Dunecht Estates

Dunnottar Castle stands on a sheer rocky headland on the north-east coast and is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. For Dunecht Estates we stabilised, consolidated and repointed the historic masonry of this dramatic ruin, which never recovered from Cromwell’s eight-month siege in 1651.

Before & after

Drag across the image to compare the building before our work and after completion.

Dunnottar Castle after restoration by LTM Group

BeforeAfter

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire — photograph 1

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire — photograph 2

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire — photograph 3

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire — photograph 4

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire — photograph 5

The challenge

The site is reachable only on foot and is fully exposed to the North Sea. Every material, tool and piece of equipment was flown in by helicopter in 900kg loads, and scaffolding had to be erected on the cliff top. The saturated ruinous masonry and constant exposure meant new lime mortars had to be protected and cured carefully over a long period.

Our solution

We removed cement pointing and biological growth to provide a sound substrate, then rough racked the wall cores and flush pointed in lime to shed water and stop mortars washing out. Precariously dislodged stonework on the slender chimney stacks was recorded, taken down and rebuilt in its original position with stainless steel restraints. A purpose-built protection system shielded the work from wind and rain while the lime cured.