Four Posters Installed

When I went down to the castle this morning the weather was grey, the day very still with occasional heavy showers. There were big changes visible to the approach to the castle, with the layout of the gardens at the front of the castle beginning to take shape and the base for the access road almost completed.

Unfortunately, the weather was warm enough for the midges' enjoyment and, as usual, Billy was their preferred target. He, along with Grimmy, are working their way around the stonework finishing off odd sections of pointing - Billy is seen in the moat, brushing the Roman mortar on the wall of the biomass boiler house.

The scaffolding is now down throughout the courtyard so the full impact of the harling can be appreciated. Despite the lack of sun, the courtyard is much lighter, and the buildings seem more imposing.

All the lead hoppers and downpipes are in place, another feature which is a statement both of pride in the work that has been completed on this building in 2015 and of the intention that it will last for many years to come.

Local joiner Ian Cargill has been on site this week. He's seen here working on the small kitchen in the east range, but he has also been fitting units in the utility room in the west range. As with the units in the main kitchen, these are of quality oak and will look very good indeed. Ian's contact details are iancargilljoinery@btinternet.com and 07810 015 409.

Jess Hobson is with Neil Hobson Plastering who are back working on the last areas that need plastering in all three ranges - he's seen here in the small store room in the east range.

While work continues on the oak panelling in the north range, two sandstone fireplaces have now been fitted, this one in the sitting room. On the left, ready to go in to it, is a multi-fuel stove.

A sign that the project is nearing completion is the arrival of some of the beds. Three four-posters are now in place, having been carried up into their rooms and assembled. This is the one in the master bedroom, while....

....the other two have gone into the bedrooms on the attic floor.

This picture shows the detail along the top of the bed.

As I left, another heavy shower was moving slowly across the Sound of Mull. This has been a dismal summer, far from ideal for a building project of such complexity and magnitude in such a very remote area. It'll be a few weeks yet before the job is finished, but there's no questioning the cheerful dedication of this workforce.