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Painstaking work on Penicuik House, Midlothian
An exciting project is under way to return some of the former glory to an historic Midlothian building.
Over the past century, the Palladian-style Penicuik House has fallen into disrepair after being destroyed by fire.
Piecemeal efforts have been made to stabilise the structure, once home to the Clerk family, but it is only in recent years that there has been a concerted effort to save the house from further ruin.
The Penicuik House Preservation Trust, established in 1985, has joined forces with the Scottish Lime Centre Trust to repair the house and at the same time deliver training opportunities for apprentice masons and other trades.
The six-year project to stabilise the 240-year-old building has just completed its first year with much of the work focusing on the Bryce wing and service yard (to the right of the property).
New toilets and a small lecture theatre will be housed in the service yard.
Penicuik House project manager Stuart Beattie explained: "The project itself is dealing with the stabilising rather than the restoration of the building.
"We are only ever going to make it safe. It is important that the public should be able to wander through the ruin, look up and around and be able to interpret the significance of Penicuik House."
Linking up with the Fife-based Scottish Lime Centre Trust adds another dimension to the project.
"It is not just about conservation and stabilisation of a ruin but it is also very largely a training opportunity and it is that training element that makes this project stand out from any other.
"It also means the project is going to take six years.
"The intention is to make sure as many stonecraft workers are trained during this," added Mr Beattie.
See this week's Midlothian Advertiser for our full feature on the project.
In some areas, the earth and stone has been 15ft deep making it doubly difficult to stabilise the walls.
Contract manager Jim Brady, who was involved in the restoration of the Scott Monument, checks the structure on a daily basis before work begins.
“Every day is a challenge really from deposited matter in the structure and overhead dangers from loose masonry.” Work on the project was delayed by seven weeks when it was discovered that one of the walls, which abuts the Bryce wing and original house, was too fragile to be saved.
However, during the delay, the workmen from Hunter Clark turned their attention to the nearby Chinese Bridge, which needed to be stabilised and the archway stonework repaired. The bridge is one of 19 eye-catchers – monuments, caves and follies – on the 365 acres Penicuik Estate. “Some are in fairly good repair, some are needing some cuddles,” admitted Mr Beattie.
The Scottish Lime Centre Trust will also be organising sessions when volunteers and heritage groups can get involved in other smaller tasks such as rebuilding dry stane dykes around the estate.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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