Owners of a castle near Inverness are seeking permission to make the ancient pile more homely
Part of a castle near Inverness will be made more comfortable for modern day living if a plan is approved by Highland Council.
Harry Fraser, one of the Moniack Frasers, part of the Fraser’s of Lovat clan, has applied for listed building consent to carry out alterations to a more recent wing added to the L-shaped tower that dates back to about 1600 and has been in continuous use and occupation for more than 400 years.
He also wishes to demolish a poor quality lean-to building and replace it with a timber clad and glazed orangery.
The castle became quite well known when it became a base for a winery in 1979 making a range of fruit wines, liqueurs and mead from local vegetation including birch trees. It closed in 2012.
A design statement by Croftworks Architecture, Edinburgh, who specialist in working on listed and historic buildings, is included with the application to Highland Council, and it makes the point that Historic Scotland’s listing description of the castle makes explicit reference to the “the old tower and bowed front, and it is these particular features that justify its designation” as a B-listed building.
The report adds: “The later and more prosaic ‘service’’ parts of the building in the east and rear are not explicitly described in the listing, and their mismatched character might be the reason for this. It is within these parts that the proposed extension is sited.
“It is the intention of these proposals to carry out some internal alterations to this central part to make it suitable for contemporary family life.”
The application is under consideration by the council planners.
