Wick in Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
The Castle & Gardens of Mey
Photographed By Michael Herrick, August 28, 2018
1. The Castle & Gardens of Mey Marker
Inscription.
The Castle and Gardens of Mey. .
Repair and Conservation works to Castle of Mey: Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust. The Castle of Mey was the property of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 until 1996, when Her Majesty generously gifted it with an endowment to the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust. , The Trust was established for charitable purposes with the objective of the preservation of buildings and monuments of historic importance and/or architectural interest including the Castle of Mey. , In order to maintain the Castle necessary repair and conservation works are required to be undertaken by the Trust. This has been generously supported by the Historic Scotland Repair Grant with the work carried out by O'Brien Construction and architectural services by ANTA design. The current repair and conservation work includes the repair and replacement of stonework, removal of cement pointing and replaced with lime ‘sneck’ harling and a repair programme for the sash and case windows. , On this sheet you will find more detailed information of the work currently being carried out. We do apologise for any inconvenience caused by this work during the course of your visit. , Supported by Historic Scotland Repair Grant , ( photo captions ) - View from South East: Stone repairs will be carried out on the front porch highlighted in red on the above drawing. Mid 20th Century cement pointing will be removed and replaced with traditional Caithness ‘sneck’ lime haring on areas highlighted in beige on the above drawing. - View from North East: Mid 20th Century cement pointing will be removed and replaced with traditional Caithness ‘sneck’ lime haring on areas highlighted in beige on the above drawing. The damaging results of the cement pointing on the stonework are shown in the photographs to the right. - Harling: Crushed sea shells, sharp sand and hydraulic lime are used to make a 'sneck harl' which is a traditional lime finish found in Scotland. Mortar samples are used to identify a suitable replacement colour for the mortar as shown in this photograph. Where iron oxide from the locally quarried caithness stone has stained the walls (below image), the stones will be indented and walls cleaned. - Stone repairs: Some of the original cut stone has gradually eroded over time - accentuated in many places by the inappropriate use of cement pointing during the 20th Century. These stones have been carefully surveyed and new stones will be carved by local stone masons to replace them. Where ashlar stones require re-pointing a fine silver sand mortar is used. - Cement Mortar: This image shows the detrimental effect of cement renders and mortars on the soft sandstone. Water collects in the cement joints and gradually erodes the stone. As part of the works inappropriate cement finishes will be removed and replaced with a new sacrificial silver-sand lime mortar. - Windows: As part of the survey all glazing bar details were measured and recorded (left). In places where the original sash and case windows have deteriorated from water ingress, craftsmen will carefully remove and repair damaged sections, retaining as much original fabric as possible. Where large new sections of frames are necessary the original glass will be reinstated.
Repair and Conservation works to Castle of Mey: Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust
The Castle of Mey was the property of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 until 1996, when Her Majesty generously gifted it with an endowment to the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust.
The Trust was established for charitable purposes with the objective of the preservation of buildings and monuments of historic importance and/or architectural interest including the Castle of Mey.
In order to maintain the Castle necessary repair and conservation works are required to be undertaken by the Trust. This has been generously supported by the Historic Scotland Repair Grant with the work carried out by O'Brien Construction and architectural services by ANTA design. The current repair and conservation work includes the repair and replacement of stonework, removal of cement pointing and replaced with lime ‘sneck’ harling and a repair programme for the sash and case windows.
On this sheet you will find more detailed information of the work currently being carried out. We do apologise for any inconvenience caused by this work during the course of your visit.
Supported by Historic Scotland Repair Grant
( photo captions )
- View from South East: Stone repairs will be carried
Click or scan to see this page online
out on the front porch highlighted in red on the above drawing. Mid 20th Century cement pointing will be removed and replaced with traditional Caithness ‘sneck’ lime haring on areas highlighted in beige on the above drawing.
- View from North East: Mid 20th Century cement pointing will be removed and replaced with traditional Caithness ‘sneck’ lime haring on areas highlighted in beige on the above drawing. The damaging results of the cement pointing on the stonework are shown in the photographs to the right.
- Harling: Crushed sea shells, sharp sand and hydraulic lime are used to make a 'sneck harl' which is a traditional lime finish found in Scotland. Mortar samples are used to identify a suitable replacement colour for the mortar as shown in this photograph. Where iron oxide from the locally quarried caithness stone has stained the walls (below image), the stones will be indented and walls cleaned.
- Stone repairs: Some of the original cut stone has gradually eroded over time - accentuated in many places by the inappropriate use of cement pointing during the 20th Century. These stones have been carefully surveyed and new stones will be carved by local stone masons to replace them. Where ashlar stones require re-pointing a fine silver sand mortar is used.
- Cement Mortar: This image shows the detrimental effect of cement renders and mortars on the soft
Photographed By Michael Herrick, August 28, 2018
2. The Castle & Gardens of Mey
sandstone. Water collects in the cement joints and gradually erodes the stone. As part of the works inappropriate cement finishes will be removed and replaced with a new sacrificial silver-sand lime mortar.
- Windows: As part of the survey all glazing bar details were measured and recorded (left). In places where the original sash and case windows have deteriorated from water ingress, craftsmen will carefully remove and repair damaged sections, retaining as much original fabric as possible. Where large new sections of frames are necessary the original glass will be reinstated.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1952.
Location. 58° 38.841′ N, 3° 13.501′ W. Marker is in Wick, Scotland, in Highland. Marker can be reached from Braes of Harrow, 1.6 kilometers north of Route A836, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wick, Scotland KW14 8XJ, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Castle of Mey. (Submitted on December 19, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 122 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 19, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.
