Fyvie Castle: 800-year-old Scottish castle enters its 'sixth age' with £5m upgrade
Major works will take Fyvie in Aberdeenshire to “its full potential”.
An 800-year-old castle is set to enter its “sixth age” with a transformational £5m investment.
Fyvie Castle, Garden and Estate, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, has its origins as a royal stronghold under King William ‘the Lion’ in the early 13th Century.
As the castle was rebuilt, expanded and elaborated upon, it served as the home to some of Scotland’s most powerful families during the ‘five ages of Fyvie’.
The castle will now embark on its ‘sixth age’ under the ownership of the National Trust for Scotland, which aims to take Fyvie to its “full potential”.
Essential conservation work will be carried out to the A-listed property to address “critical issues” at the stronghold, including decay to stonework and damage to the delicate 16th Century finials which top the castle turrets and depict figures playing sports and musical instruments.
Meanwhile, the early 19th Century Old Farm complex, which is on the Buildings at Risk Register, will be saved and turned into a visitor centre.
The masterplan, which has been developed in conjunction with Page\Park architects, is expected to take at least a decade to complete, with the first phase completed by 2027 at a cost of around £5 million.
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Phil Long, the Chief Executive of the National Trust for Scotland, said: “Fyvie has been at the centre of Scottish powerplay for much of its eight centuries, hosting formidable dynasties, siege and intrigue, serving for a time as a royal nursery, as well as being caught up in the civil strife of the troubled 17th century when a battle was fought in its grounds and it was later occupied by Cromwellian troops.”
Ownership of the castle passed through the five families of Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Forbes-Leith before being acquired by the Trust for the nation in 1984.
Mr Long added: “Each of the five owning families evolved the castle’s architecture, changing its appearance and purposes.
“Beginning as a royal stronghold, it eventually became the home and playground of the locally born Alexander Forbes-Leith who, with his American wife Marie-Louise, and the fortune they acquired through their business in the USA, restored and expanded the building and filled it with treasures which now make it home to one of the great art collections of Scotland.
“Now, through this masterplan, the National Trust for Scotland is taking the castle, gardens and grounds into their next era, conserving them for future generations and making them more accessible and engaging to all, under our care for the benefit of the nation.”
Mr Long said the planned investment will require “major international fundraising” to achieve.
Once initial works to the castle and farm are completed, attention will move to the next phases of the project to meet the “tremendous need” for conservation work at Fyvie.
These will include major repairs to stabilise the castle’s main facade and protect the fragile interior of the pile, including its ornate panelling and plaster work.
Attention will also turn to the ‘internationally significant treasures of Fyvie’, which include a collection of works by Henry Raeburn, a portrait of General WIlliam Gordon by Italian painter Batoni and a rare Tiffany glass lamp. Object will be redisplayed with sculptures previously unseen by the public to emerge from the stores and exhibited throughout the castle and gardens.
Access to the surrounding estate will be improved, allowing visitors to venture deeper into the grounds.
Meanwhile, environmental sustainability will be improved with renewable energy deployed and energy consumption and emissions to be reduced.
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