History Harthill Castle is a pink-washed Z-plan tower 77ft high dating from the 17th century and set in woodland and farmland in Oyne, Aberdeenshire. 4 storeys with ground floor rooms are vaulted; it also has a Great Hall and 4 poster bedrooms.
The photographs below show Harthill before the start of its
restoration in 1975.
Stone Masonry
Slessor Troup, One of the area's top master masons, was
responsible for the restoration of the entire castle between
1975 and 1977, taking it from a crumbling ruin to the magnificent
building that it is today. The restoration work won the Saltire
Award in 1977.
Slessor and the fireplace in the Grand Hall
Slessor leveling pink granite Bennachie steps on spiral staircase
Harthill Castle 1977
Leadwork
Adam Wilken has
worked extensively on Harthill Castle over the years and
carried out all the restored leadwork on the castle.
In 1995 he recieved the Geraldine Scott Award for his contribution
to the restoration of the castle.
"There
has been a fallacy in the past that the tradesmen
from a neighbouring town were better than those at home.
In the past this applied more so to castles and mansions.
Tradesmen from the Lothians and
in some cases England were supposed to be the only ones
capable of such work. This myth ended when Harthill
Castle was entrusted to local tradesmen.
This was rewarded with the project receiving the Saltire
Award, the top accolade in Scotland for workmanship." Adam
Wilken 2006
