Updates from site
With rejuvenation works now well underway, here we share glimpses into the activity onsite at Saddell Castle.
Meet the team
Landmark’s regional surveyor for Scotland and the Borders, Zac Manning, is managing the complex project and steering an expert team. Nick Blair and David Millar of Glasgow-based ZM Architecture are working together with Alan Harper and David Piechniczek of Morham + Brotchie Partnership quantity surveyors, Dominic Echlin of David Narro Associates structural engineers, Danny Ross of Harley Haddow M&E consultants, Dr Clare Ellis of Argyll Archaeology, Charlotte Meyer-Wilson of ecologists David Dodds Associates, Craig Frew of Frew Conservation and others. Chris Pritchard of principal contractors William Waugh & Sons (Builders) Ltd is supervising site.
The team will also be working with several subcontractors across the project, including:
J.Plant Hire: Ben Millar and team, Max, Ali and David who will undertake the groundworks and excavation for the drainage works and to the cellar basement and new plant store.
Limerich: Richard Fraser and his band of masons, Paul, Dominic, Liam and Cameron during their careful removal of the cementitious harling and exposing the masonry below.
Clyde Scaffolding: Willie Creggan and his lead scaffolder Raymond Edgar and team, Liam, Stephen and Billy, in the impressive scaffolding matrix covering the entire castle structure, including chimneys and providing a covered area for
Limerich masonry works.
Calum McKinven Contractor: Calum and his team of roofers, Paul and Ian and joiners Dyland and Dave for carefully stripping the existing Scot’s slates and dressing for reinstatement.
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J Plant Hire
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Limerich & Clyde
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Calum McKinven Contractor
Progress so far
March 2024
The first weeks have seen a hive of activity unfold across the Castle. Landmark's Regional Surveyor, Zac Manning reflects on what’s been achieved so far.
Clyde Scaffolding are racing on with the scaffolding – we are now at parapet level and almost at the chimneys, while they still need to tie into the masonry, secure the scaffolding boards and install the debris netting. Meanwhile at ground level, we had the Limerich Team removing the defective harl and revealing the underlying stonework.
We had ecologist Charlotte from David Dodds installing bat boxes, delivering a toolbox talk on bat protection and supervising the removal of slates. Calum McKinven Contractors are tasked with stripping the roof slates, and Nick Blair of ZM Architecture was on site to inspect the proposed new/salvaged slate replacement and meet with Chris Pritchard of William Waugh.
Roddie from Argyll Archaeology was also on site supervising the excavation works to the basement and external plant room under a Watching Brief – he uncovered a range of glass bottles and pottery, including delftware – this treasure trove will be cleaned up and presented in the archaeological evaluation report. Ben Millar and team from J Plant Hire made short work of the removal of the concrete basement – now we need to reduce levels slightly, so Roddie will shortly return to supervise this.
We also had delivery of the site welfare units comprising storage and office (which sit of top of one another), which proved a wee bit challenging in a small site – especially when the office arrived before the storage unit despite Chris’ specific instructions!
