Conservation work worth £700k has begun on Scotland's oldest castle keep.

The work is vital to protect the 700-year-old Drum Castle and keep it intact.

Situated near Banchory, the medieval tower, which is in the care of the National Trust, is to undergo specialist works to remove cement pointing and replace it with traditional, breathable lime mortar to help preserve the keep.

A National Trust spokesman said: "A scaffold is now being built around the whole historic tower. This is a major piece of construction work and will take several weeks to conclude. Once the scaffold has been completed, the first task is to painstakingly chip away the existing mortar.


"The £700,000 project is generously funded by a grant awarded by the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA made possible by the generous support of an anonymous donor and Historic Scotland."

Property Manager Alison Burke added: "Work is underway on this huge conservation project and the scaffolding is now going up. The plan is that the scaffolding will be up until the end of the year. Visitors are really interested in hearing more about the project and why this work is being undertaken and are very supportive of our efforts to ensure this important tower remains for seven more centuries."

(JP/H)