Caisteal Maol stabilisation work complete
Works to stabilise the lightning-strike-damaged Caisteal Maol at Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye have been completed, announces The Highland Council.
A final site inspection visit will take place on Tuesday 9 October by Historic Environment Scotland. Following the inspection, local Highland Cllr John Finlayson along with representatives from local community groups will view the work and meet those involved in the project.
It was during a major storm earlier this year in February that the existing ruined castle was struck by lightning causing new damage and making the site unsafe.
Highland Council, who owns the property, arranged for stabilisation work to be carried out, to protect the damaged castle from further collapse and to preserve this historic monument for many years to come.
The project, led by the councils Property Maintence team, was part funded by Historic Environment Scotland and The Highland Council. Local building company D.A. MacLennan from Kyleakin, was appointed as Principle Contractor with Shona McLeod of Skye Stones from Broadford contracted to carry out the stabilisation work.
McDonald Scaffolding Ltd from Inverness were also commissioned to provide a complex, self-supporting, scaffold platform around the castle from which the physical work could take place. The movement of plant, materials and equipment over to the castle from Kyleakin Pier was facilitated by the generous offer of a landing craft by Marine Harvest.
The stabilisation work consisted of painstakingly photographing each step before it was taken to ensure that every stone that needed to be removed was put back in exactly the same place. The inner core of the wall was capped using a rough racking technique in lime mortar. Samples of the original mortar were analysed and new mortar was mixed to match the original. The stabilisation work also included the installation of a lightning protection system which has been designed to protect the whole of the ruin from any future strikes and damage.
Speaking on behalf of Highland Council’s Eilean a' Cheò Ward Members Cllr John Finlayson said: “Caisteal Maol’s historic, cultural and tourism significance is important to everyone who lives in Kyleakin. All Skye Councillors are delighted that a plan was out in place to stabilise the castle and ensure it will be open for the public to visit in the future.
“We would like to thank everyone for all the efforts involved in making Caisteal Maol safe and special thanks go to Marine Harvest for providing the landing craft free of charge which afforded a significant cost saving to the project.”