A helicopter delivering tons of scaffolding to a mediaeval fortress! These pictures actually present the size and complexity of our ongoing programme to verify the high-level masonry at various our websites.
Guests to Tantallon fortress might keep in mind crossing the slender picket bridge to get into the fortress. Nice when you’re enjoying “Three Billy Goats Gruff”. Extra difficult when you’re making an attempt to get scaffolding right into a fortress. How do you resolve that? With the assistance of a helicopter, after all!
Airlifting scaffold supplies into Tantallon Fort in December 2022 in preparation for inspections, which began on the finish of January 2023.
Trying again
With spring simply across the nook, it seems like time to have a look forward at what 2023 is more likely to convey for our high-level masonry mission. Additionally it is alternative to look again at a few of the challenges and successes.
It’s been a yr since we introduced the closure of fifty of our websites, along with 20 that we closed in summer time 2021. Preliminary inspections at a pattern group of web sites had revealed some regarding points with excessive degree masonry. We acted rapidly to safe different websites that will have been affected by the identical sorts of issues. You’ll be able to learn extra about that in my earlier weblog.
We perceive that this was a call which introduced concern, frustration and disappointment to many. From our personal workers whose jobs modified whereas websites have been closed, to the communities who stay round our websites and depend on them as an vital a part of the native financial system, and our guests and members who’ve missed exploring these great previous locations. It was not a call that was taken calmly. The security of workers and guests has at all times been our prime precedence and we needed to act once we recognized a threat. Leaving websites open till we may examine them wasn’t an choice, legally or, from a private perspective, morally.
Inspecting the websites
Because of the arduous work, expertise and dedication of our high-level masonry mission group and colleagues from throughout the organisation, we’ve been capable of restore full and partial entry at round 30 websites which have been impacted by this programme of inspections. Dundonald Fort, Burleigh Fort, St Andrews Fort, and Inchcolm Abbey are amongst people who reopened final yr.
Dundonald Fort being inspected.
Surveying these websites isn’t any simple process – particularly as our meticulous strategy entails checking all the stonework by hand. On common, it takes round a month for a group of inspectors to verify every web site. This ranges between 4 individual days for smaller websites, to 136 individual days for bigger, extra complicated websites. At Dumbarton Fort we inspected over a kilometre of masonry partitions, constructed of hundreds of particular person stones.
We now have 20 conservation colleagues working straight on delivering inspections on this mission. They’re supported by quite a few colleagues throughout the organisation engaged on different components of the mission.
It’s sized inspection group. Nonetheless, with round 40 websites nonetheless left to be checked they will’t be in every single place without delay. We do have a prioritised listing of web sites to examine from the Orkney Isles right down to Dumfries and Galloway and in every single place in between.
Prioritisation
The sequence of checking our websites may seem a bit unusual at a primary look. Some smaller, much less well-known websites have been prioritised forward of extra common locations. That’s as a result of we first needed to attend to websites the place it was unimaginable to completely limit entry. For instance, maybe as a result of a street ran alongside the monument or the place we border different properties. We didn’t wish to put any members of the general public or our neighbours at any threat.
Linlithgow Palace being inspected in winter 2022. The outcomes of the survey are at present being evaluated and can inform our subsequent steps.
We do admire that it might need appeared that websites had been restricted and that no work was happening, however I’d prefer to reassure folks that was not the case. Work has been ongoing. This has included pre-inspection work, corresponding to checking the suitability of the land across the web site to face up to the burden of heavy equipment like specialist entry platforms or checking rope entry factors. Our groups have been out and about, however maybe simply not at a web site near you on the time you have been visiting.
This February, we’re lively at Caerlaverock, Dirleton, and Tantallon Castles if you’re within the space.
Well being and security
I admire that my phrases is probably not effectively obtained, nevertheless, I want to stress that the works being carried out are utterly needed. This isn’t a case of ‘’well being and security gone mad’’.
Our bodily tactile inspections have been uncovering issues that will not have come to mild utilizing conventional strategies of visible inspections. I’m completely sure that proscribing entry till we will verify all of those websites has been the best factor to do; it’s our authorized responsibility.
Rope entry specialists verify the stonework by hand at Linlithgow Palace.
Fortunately we’ve been capable of repair many of those defects as we’ve been going. This consists of repairs to slates and lightning conductors, de-vegetation to take away invasive weeds, re-bedding of high-level stones and elimination of harmful materials. The place extra concerned work is required, we’ve put in place interim options which restore as a lot entry as attainable to our properties. We’ll return to hold out additional repairs as soon as we’ve bought options in place.
Our groups have been working by way of the winter, after they can. Though typically it’s important to know when to attract the road. At instances the screens of the iPads that we use for recording survey outcomes stopped working as a result of it was too chilly. There have been different instances when it was so chilly that potential free materials was frozen onto the monument.
Recording the outcomes of inspections of memorials and gravestones at Dryburgh Abbey on an iPad. Following inspections, the abbey nave, together with Sir Walter Scott’s Tomb, grounds, store and bathrooms are open once more.
Web site workers
I’m very fortunate to have colleagues throughout Scotland who actually love their work at our websites. They care deeply about these locations, their historical past, the native communities and our guests.
At websites like Tantallon Fort, Arbroath Abbey and Caerlaverock Fort we’ve saved our stewarding workers on web site. They welcome guests to the grounds, exhibitions and reward retailers, despite the fact that there are nonetheless entry restrictions in place on the buildings. In different areas, we’ve been capable of redeploy workers to different websites or give them the chance to work on different initiatives.
We’re conscious that having workers at our websites to welcome guests makes all of the distinction and it’s vital to us that we hold this expertise, expertise and fervour with our organisation.
Inchcolm Abbey reopened in June 2022 after it was inspected. Though it’s at present closed for winter, it is going to be open once more in April for our summer time season.
Trying forward
To date, we’ve been capable of restore entry at round 30 of the 70 websites concerned on this programme.
With inspections at present on schedule, we’ll be capable of open extra of your favorite websites this yr. Holyrood Abbey reopened on 6 February and Dumbarton Fort will reopen within the coming weeks. Later this spring, we will restore entry on the majority of Aberdour Fort and Lochleven Fort.
We’re additionally trying ahead to reopening extra of our seasonal websites in 2023. Control our web site and social media for bulletins.
We’ve additionally been listening to your suggestions and getting out and about assembly neighborhood representatives at our websites. We’ll convey you extra updates because the inspections progress and extra properties open up.
