TWENTY of Scotland’s historical sites have been earmarked as priorities for investment under a multi-million-pound plan put forward by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), caretaker of the nation’s heritage.
In the 2018/19 financial year the initiative will be backed by £12 million of funding and will run until 2021/22 enhancing the condition of sites and improving the visitor experience.
As part of the new investment, Edinburgh Castle will see the ongoing enhancement of facilities, repair work will be undertaken on the main spire at Glasgow Cathedral and an augmented reality app for Caerlaverock Castle, south of Dumfries, will allow visitors to collect historical animations related to the castle and its adjacent nature trail.
New external lighting will be set up around Doune Castle in Perthshire – which doubles as the fictional Castle Leoch in the hit TV show Outlander – along with an introductory exhibition on its history, based in the castle vaults. The castle’s shop was also upgraded last year to become more customer-friendly.
HES will also invest in the further digitisation of its archives, including a photography collection from the former Countryside Commission for Scotland of rural buildings from the 1970s – a collection never before available to the public.
The plans highlight HES’s increasing use of cutting-edge technology to conserve and manage its assets and estate, which includes using digital applications in areas such as research and surveying, and how it mitigates climate change impacts across it.
HES has already made a significant investment in this financial year on upkeep and improvements, including conservation projects at sites such as Midhowe in Orkney, Dunkeld Cathedral and Dumbarton Castle.
Other projects already under way include the installation of CCTV, improvements to interpretation materials at sites and the development of virtual reality experiences for visitors, along with a new pontoon and boats at Lochleven Castle.
Based on current and projected income levels, HES is looking to allocate a similar level of investment each year of the planned programme. The investment initiative is being published alongside HES’ first asset management plan, outlining its approach to caring for over 300 properties and collections in its care, including sites such as Linlithgow Palace, Skara Brae on Orkney and Stirling Castle.
Alex Paterson, HES chief executive, said: “These are ambitious plans which will set new standards for the care of our properties and provide world class visitor attractions with outstanding visitor experiences.
“We’re building on the success of recent years which have seen record numbers of visitors to many of Scotland’s historic sites.
“We’ve already effectively started our investment programme, with many projects already underway across the country and are in a strong position to deliver on the identified priorities designed to help bring social, economic and environmental benefits for Scotland.”
HES said the asset management and investment plans build on its successful corporate plan for 2015-2018 and the Scottish Government’s priorities for economic development.
Fiona Hyslop, culture, tourism and external affairs secretary, added: “During the past two financial years the Scottish Government has committed additional capital funding of around £6m to support the conservation and management of properties in care. I am now pleased to see this plan for investment in our historic environment, and the infrastructure supporting Historic Environment Scotland’s wider visitor offer, which offers such a strong return for our economy, directly generating £528m in 2017, and supporting an estimated 15,300 full time jobs in Scotland.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here