[MR] BBC: Pink Aberdeenshire Castle Restored

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, especially Fellow Scots,

I passed on this story a few days ago in favor of several other things to
post, but today it will finally get its due.

Restoration work on Scotland's famous pink castle, Craigievar in
Aberdeenshire, has just been completed. The castle was closed for several
years while structural damage and water seepage issues were addressed. The
almost Barbie-esque pink stucco (called "harling" in Scots) has been
retained.

Castle Craigievar actually dates to around 1600 and was completed about
1625, but it was no folly. Defensive castles were still being built through
the 17th century in Scotland. Craigievar was once surrounded by a curtain
wall with four defensive outer towers and a gate secured by a portcullis
(called a "yett" in Scotland) . Most of the external fortifications were
removed in the 18th century. For over three centuries Craigievar was the
seat of the Forbes clan chief, until it was ceded in 1963 to the National
Trust for Scotland (now called Historic Environment Scotland).

The pink color actually dates to about 1820, and was originally applied to
compliment the building's red granite detailing. Garish, yes, but the
castle is greatly loved by many Scots and it is a popular tourist
destination.

Castle Craigievar is claimed to have inspired Walt Disney's theme park
castles. The claim is also made for Mad Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle in
Bavaria. You choose. Even though I am intensely proud of my Scottish
heritage, I have to go with Neuschwanstein. Possibly both contributed to
Disney's designs.

The BBC story is at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnkdxl1e8zjo .

More about Craigievar Castle is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigievar_Castle .

For comparison, check out the Wikipedia page on Neuschwanstein at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.