ROOF REPAIRS can be a nightmare for any homeowner, even more so when no work has been done for more than 250 years.
Age is starting to take its toll on parts of Blair Castle, but fixing a leaky roof is no mean feat.
Due to the listed nature of the grand building, planning policy states that traditional materials must be used where possible.
Unfortunately, in the case of the 13th century Highland Perthshire castle, slate used on the roof is no longer available, as it was originally sourced from the now-defunct Birnam Quarry.
Records from the Blair Atholl Estate archive show that the work was first carried out in the 1750s, when the castle wasde-fortified and as part of a remodelling exercise.
Now, more than two centuries on, the roof covering the great drawing room can no longer be repaired.
A report submitted by Jonathan Gotelee of Purcell Miller Tritton, who previously worked on Blair Castle to repair the iconic clock tower, revealed that it was “nail sick”.
“Attempting to re-nail one slate causes all adjacent ones to slip,” he said. “This is not surprising; the roof slates have been in place for at least 100 years.
“There are no reserves of second-hand slates of this type available on the estate.
“Please note, however, that depending on the condition of the slates removed and the quantity capable of reuse, it may be possible to re-slate some of the roof areas hatched with reused slate.
“There will not be enough reclaimed slate to re-slate the largest pitch, it must be newly slated.”
Mr Gotelee revealed that any leftover slates taken from the roof above the great drawing room will be retained for use elsewhere on Blair Castle.
The new tiles are set to come from the Burlington Cumbrian beds, which are described as having “much the same geology” as Scottish ones.
The plans have been welcomed by Historic Scotland, who praised the “sound justification and methodology” set out by Mr Gotelee and his team.
This isn’t the first time Blair Castle has undergone significant repairs.
A fire in March last year destroyed the roof of the historic clock tower, as well as gutting the interior of the 740-year-old building.
Around 50 firefighters took almost two hours to extinguish the blaze.
Thankfully, despite the extensive damage and following significant refurbishment, the tower has been restored to its former glory.
sgray@thecourier.co.uk