Stone replacement and lime harling:
30 The Square
Huntly · 2023
Built in 1875 and long known as Cruickshank's department store, 30 The Square is one of Huntly's landmark buildings, with a sandstone frontage, a corner turret and a granite rubble return onto Deveron Street. Huntly and District Development Trust is converting it into a community, cultural and heritage hub. Working for the main contractor, Bancon Construction, to designs by LDN Architects, we carried out the external stonework and lime work to bring the elevations back. The project was the overall winner of the Scottish Civic Trust's My Place Awards 2025 and a finalist in the SURF Awards 2025.
The challenge
Decades of cement repairs and modern paint had trapped moisture in the sandstone frontage, and much of the stone had eroded beyond repair, including the corner turret and its radiused string courses. The granite rubble elevation onto Deveron Street was held in cement joints and render. The building sits on the town square, so scaffold, hoisting, stone deliveries and storage had to be coordinated with the main contractor, the new internal works and the life of the street. Lead times for new stone and carving were long, which meant the stone had to be scheduled early and sequenced carefully.
Our solution
A stone schedule was drawn up for each elevation and the turret, recording every replacement stone, and agreed before the stone was ordered. Failed sandstone was taken down and rebuilt in new stone, with carved and radiused string courses and the corner turret rebuilt to match the original profiles. New granite cills and lintels were formed to the new Deveron Street window openings, and chimneys were taken down and rebuilt with new liners and pots. On the granite rubble elevations, cement joints and render were removed by hand and the walls repointed in lime. Gables were reharled in traditional lime harling and finished with limewash. Paint and grime were removed from the stonework using DOFF steam cleaning, and the frontage was repointed on completion. A telehandler and hoist, together with lifting beams on the scaffold, moved stone safely to high level.
Outcomes
Frontage and turret restored
Failed sandstone was replaced with new stone cut and carved to match, including the corner turret.
Breathable lime finishes
Cement was removed from the granite rubble elevations, which were repointed or reharled in lime and limewashed.
A landmark back in use
The restored building is being brought back to life as a community-run hub in the centre of Huntly.
Nationally recognised
Overall winner of the Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards 2025 for community placemaking and a finalist in the SURF Awards 2025, with LTM as the specialist stonework subcontractor.
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