The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has joined in the St Andrews Day celebrations by announcing almost £3/4million investment in Scotland’s unique heritage. The injection of funding will save two very diverse historic buildings and open them up to public for the first time.
The 14th century Scottish stronghold, Portencross Castle, will be saved for the nation and Benmore Fernery, a particularly significant example of its type in the UK, is to be restored to full working order thanks to the Heritage Lottery funding.
Colin McLean, HLF’s Manager for Scotland, said:
“Although our heritage stems from the past, heritage projects are about the future, using the past to create new tourist attractions, new jobs, new investment, new sources of learning, new experiences, new friendships and a new sense of pride. What better way to celebrate St Andrews Day than to save two very different aspects of our Scottish heritage so that generations to come have access to learn from and enjoy these links to the lives of our ancestors.”
Portencross Castle
Occupying a striking position on a rock promontory overlooking the Clyde, Portencross Castle is an internationally important example of a medieval Scottish stronghold. Its history is linked to that of the Stewart Kings. Today, however, it is derelict, unsafe and in danger of collapse. A grant of £510,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund will consolidate the castle and allow public access to the interior for the first time.
The Castle‘s profile was raised when it featured in the BBC Restoration programme in 2004 at which time almost 18,000 viewers voted for it as the building they most wanted to see preserved.
It is thought that Portencross was initially constructed as a hall house and although not a permanent royal residence, played an important role in the life of Robert Stewart. He became first heir to the throne following the 1326 Act of Succession and played a crucial role in the recovery of castles on the Clyde coast and in South Scotland. Later, as King Robert II, he frequented the Portencross area and the fifteen acts of Robert II, dated between 1371 and 1490, were likely to have been signed at Portencross Castle. The building was abandoned in 1739 when its roof blew off in a violent storm.
The Heritage Lottery Fund grant will enable the Friends of Portencross Castle to repair existing stonework, provide a roof to the main hall and wing where the vaulted ceilings are still intact, install electricity for public safety and make the access paths safe. The conservation work is expected to take eighteen months and will include two apprenticeships.
As well as the physical works, the Castle’s historical and archaeological links with the Spanish Armada will be researched. A canon retrieved in 1740 from a vessel believed to be of the Armada remains at Portencross. The wreck is likely to be close to the coast, near the Castle.
Once conserved, Portencross Castle will be open to the public with guided tours by local volunteers, lectures, an education programme, art exhibitions and seaborne visits by local boat tour operators. It will also be a venue for weddings and events.
The Benmore Fernery Restoration Project
Ferneries became popular in British gardens from the 1850s as a result in a new interest in exotic plants. Benmore Fernery, situated in Benmore Botanic Garden near Dunoon, was built at the height of this Victorian craze by James Duncan, a Greenock sugar refiner, when he acquired the 48 hectare Benmore Estate. The fernery is one of only two in Scotland, the other being at Ascog on the Isle of Bute. It is unique due to its scale (142.29m2).
Thanks to a grant of £236,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, a world-acknowledged leader in the classification, study and cultivation of ferns, will restore the Benmore Fernery as a working fernery which will be open to the general public.
Nestled in a shaded cleft in the hillside, it will be landscaped inside and out with a range of native and exotic ferns. It has also been identified as an ideal site for the cultivation of the Killarney fern, one of Britain’s most rare species, protected under UK and European legislation. Other endangered native species will be cultivated to highlight general issues of plant and habitat conservation. There will be range of training opportunities for staff, students, general interest groups and the public as well as educational activities, tours and visitor events throughout the project.
Commenting on the grant, Dr David Rae, Director if Horticulture at RGBE, said: “This is a very important announcement which takes us a long way towards securing the future of this important building. Now we must turn our attention to a public fundraising programme to ensure the fernery restoration reaches its full potential.”
