Falkland Palace beloved of Mary, Queen of Scots receives funding for repair works

Sculpture experts will repair stonework at a royal palace once beloved by Mary, Queen of Scots under a significant investment in some of Scotland’s most prized historic properties.
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Conservation work will be carried out at Fife’s Falkland Palace under a £25,770 investment.

Repairs on the Renaissance building are being done with the help of sculpture conservation specialists from firms Graciela Ainsworth, Alison Davie Construction, Scottish Wall Paintings Conservators and Adams Napier Partnership.

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Falkland Palace
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The work is part of a wider £250,000 grant provided by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to support repair projects at historic properties run by charity, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).

A further £50,000 will be spent on restoring the cobbles, roof checks and limewash at Hugh Miller’s Cottage in Cromarty.

Ayrshire’s Culzean Castle and Country Park – the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy – and Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire will benefit from the funding. Repairs will also be carried out at Brodie Castle, Castle Fraser and Malleny House.

Sarah MacKinnon, head of building surveying operations at National Trust for Scotland, said: “We are lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible places, full of history and heritage every day and it is so important to us that we do everything we can to ensure that they are preserved to the highest degree and that visitors far and wide can experience heritage at its best.

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“Over the last few years we have learned just how positive an impact access to Scotland’s heritage can have on the public, and we want to ensure and enhance future access for everyone, by improving the conditions of the wonderful places in our care, enabling visitors to appreciate the nature, beauty and heritage that we can offer.”

NTS in April committed to investing £100m in its sites over the next decade as part of a new strategy for its future.

But the pledge has come against the backdrop of significant funding cuts to partner agency HES, which has had its budget slashed from £61m in 2022/23 to just £48m by 2026/27.

The budget cuts have come as HES juggles conservation work across a host of closed sites, including Aberdour and Ravenscraig castles.