Contractors Arrive on Site as Work Begins on the Restoration of Dean Castle

Works will begin on the restoration of Dean Castle as contractors, CBC Stone, arrive on site on the 7^th January to erect scaffolding allowing stonework repairs to take place from 2019 onwards.

East Ayrshire Council, supported by East Ayrshire Leisure, have received funding from the Heritage Lottery and Historic Environment Scotland, with the remainder of the work being funded by East Ayrshire Council itself. The project will see essential stonework restoration to the exterior of the castle buildings as well as internal modernisation and redisplay of the castle’s world class museum collections and exhibition areas.

Phase one of the project was the careful transportation of the castle’s world-renowned collections to the Dick Institute which took place in 2018 and an exhibition of these collections will now be a feature at the Dick Institute until 2021. 

As well as the stonework repairs, the redevelopment of the castle interior will open up areas which are not currently accessible to the public, and the courtyard will become a hub for activities and orientation. Two new exhibition areas will also be created on the ground floor, where a changing programme of objects from across the museum collection will be shown, and the historic musical instrument collection, officially Recognised as being of National Significance will be re-homed in new cases and housed in the Banqueting Hall.

Funding will also support a range of apprenticeship and learning programmes based around stonework restoration and collection conservation and workshops with local schools have already begun.

Councillor Elena Whitham, Chair of East Ayrshire Leisure, said: “After months of careful preparation, I’m delighted that these restoration works are getting underway in the New Year.

“Dean Castle is very much the jewel in East Ayrshire’s crown and its future very much depends on these vital restoration works, which will preserve the attraction for generations to come.

“The Castle itself may be closed, but many of the artefacts are on display at the Dick Institute and I would encourage visitors to pop into the museum to see these a new light in their new temporary home.”

For more information on the Dean Castle restoration project, visit eastayrshireleisure.com