Hundreds of prized trees lost at Scotland's heritage estates due to 'devastating' Storm Eowyn damage

The conservation charity said every trust garden in the south and west of Scotland has been impacted.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has described much of the damage, including hundreds of felled trees, as “severe” and said the repairs would take time and incur “significant cost”.

At least 250 trees have been lost across Culzean Country Park in South Ayrshire.

More than 60 trees were also blown over at Threave Garden at Castle Douglas, along with 30 at Brodick Castle on Arran. More than ten trees have been lost at each at Crarae Woodland Garden, Arduaine Garden, and Geilston Garden.

The NTS said much-loved trees had also been lost or damaged at Hill of Tarvit in Fife, Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire, the House of the Binns, outside Edinburgh, and Greenbank Garden and Holmwood, near Glasgow.

The charity confirmed Storm Eowyn toppled more than 10,000 trees from National Trust properties across the entirety of the UK.

Winds of up to 100mph on Friday, coupled with heavy rain to soften the ground, caused the loss of historically important trees on a widespread scale.

The NTS has appealed for donations to pay for the clean-up and recovery operation, which will include extensive replanting.

NTS chief executive Philip Long described the effect of Storm Éowyn as “devastating”.

“While at the trust we are used to dealing with and plan for difficult weather conditions, the brutal force of Storm Éowyn has wrought unprecedented widespread damage to many of Scotland’s most loved places,” he said.

“Our teams have been working flat-out to make them safe for people again. But the job of repair, restoration and planting will take much longer, and we would be very grateful for people’s support of our charity in this.”

Buildings were also damaged, including the roof of the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre.

Falkland Palace and its garden, which date to at least the 16th century, has sustained roof and gutter damage, broken gates and tree loss. Culross Palace, Hill of Tarvit, Kellie Castle, and Newhailes House and Gardens have all suffered damage to roofs, NTS said.

The play park, fences and walls at Culzean have also been damaged, while a large polytunnel at Brodick was lifted in the air in extreme winds and smashed.

In Northern Ireland, around 10,000 trees were lost at the 900-acre site at Mount Stewart, County Down, as it blew through the formal gardens, estate and woodlands.

Ali MacLeod, head of fundraising at NTS, said: “From the destruction caused to buildings to the loss of trees across Scotland, storm damage is once again causing a period of difficult and expensive recovery, disrupting our planned conservation work and incurring enormous cost. We need help to deal with the aftermath and develop further the means to make our places more resilient to such severe conditions.”

The National Trust for Scotland’s appeal can be found at https://www.nts.org.uk/campaigns/storm-appeal.