Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

The secret ways of keeping Craigievar Castle in the pink

The building said to have inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle.

National Trust for Scotland building surveyor Annie Robertson and operations manager James Henderson have been showing how Craigievar Castle  remains pink. Image: Kami Thomson /DC Thomson.
National Trust for Scotland building surveyor Annie Robertson and operations manager James Henderson have been showing how Craigievar Castle remains pink. Image: Kami Thomson /DC Thomson.

Experts have revealed the secret methods they have been using to restore the famous Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire to its pink glory.

The castle is world famous as it is thought to have inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle.

But the iconic Aberdeenshire landmark has been under a seven-storey pink protective mesh and scaffolding for months.

It is currently undergoing an extensive restoration, which began back in January.

Experts from the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), who are managing the operation, have revealed the steps they have been taking to make the castle look as good as new.

Building surveyor Annie Robertson has been organising the works. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

What makes Craigievar Castle pink?

The castle was completed in the Scottish Baronial style in 1626, It is situated about six miles south of Alford.

It was originally an off-white colour, only gaining its signature pink finish in 1824 when the laird instructed it should be added to make it the same colour as the granite detailing.

NTS experts say it will take two coats of white limewash and then five coats of pink to get Craigievar back to its usual hue.

A specialist stonemason giving the castle a limewash. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

Limewash is the traditional method of finishing ancient walls and is used instead of paint to help prevent condensation and dampness by allowing the castle to breathe.

A secret recipe with precise measurements of lime putty, water and pink pigment is used to coat the walls with a brush.

But because the castle’s walls are worn at varying speeds, experts will not be painting it entirely the same otherwise it would quickly appear patchy.

Why is the Craigievar Castle work needed?

In the 1970s, the NRS were keen to use modern materials to renovate the castle and used cement on its outer walls.

Although it was good at keeping the water out, it also kept a lot of water inside.

Damp became a consistent problem, as the cement functioned like a plastic bag all over the castle.

The special scaffolding took three months to install. Image: Kami Thomson/ DC Thomson

It began to sweat and its valuable collections started to get mouldy.

To solve the problem, the NTS returned to what was initially used in 1820 – a traditional lime-based harling.

Over the course of 2008 to 2009, the slaked lime and coarse aggregate mortar replaced the cement all over the building which allowed the building to breathe again.

Experts say the collections have “improved exponentially” since then.

Craigievar Castle remains popular with tourists

Due to the specialist skills required, the project will cost £750,000.

One-third of the money was spent on the special detached scaffolding so it does not damage the building.

But NTS bosses are confident the work will be worth it, as the castle brought in 18,500 visitors in 2019 before Covid.

Craigievar Castle in 2020. Image: Visit Aberdeenshire.

Workers realise the importance of the north-east as the AB postcode is the location with the largest number of NTS members in the country.

NTS operations manager for Aberdeenshire South James Henderson said: “It is massively popular with the tourists.

“There was an American who came along and when he looked up and saw the castle said ‘look they copied Disney’.”

Traditional skills kept alive

The work on Craigievar Castle has allowed traditional stonemason skills to survive.

Steven Harper, from specialist repair firm Harper and Allan Masonry who has been working on the castle, said his firm continually takes on new apprentices.

“It is important to pass these skills onto the next generation”, he said.

Steven Harper beside a cannon he made in 2008.  Image: Kami Thomson/ DC Thomson.

He previously worked as the site manager when Craigievar Castle was given a lime harling in 2008.

The NTS is planning a grand opening of the castle after the renovation is completed in spring 2024

Future limewashing will take place annually, by using a cherry picker. It is hoped another scaffold around the castle will not be required for 20 years.

To find out more about the castle, visit the NTS website.

Conversation