HES carried out high-level masonry inspections at the Castle of Old Wick yesterday, Wednesday 8 October. The inspections provided a detailed condition assessment, and minor repairs were carried out.
Specialist teams carried out tactile inspections, carefully checking stonework by hand, accessing the ruin using ropes and scaffold. These inspections form part of HES’s nationwide High-Level Masonry programme, launched in April 2022, which is assessing sites with masonry over 1.5 metres to understand the combined impacts of age, construction, location and climate change, and to guide repairs and safe public access.
Inspections at Castle of Old Wick were previously scheduled but were delayed after pre-inspection checks identified access safety concerns. A short-term scaffolding solution has since been installed to enable safe access for inspectors.
Christa Gerdwilker, Team Leader for the High-Level Masonry Programme at HES, said:
“By examining the stonework by hand, we can see exactly how the exposed fabric is performing. On this narrow headland above the North Sea, conditions change quickly, and access is challenging, so a close-up inspection is essential. The ‘Old Man of Wick’ is a much-loved, much-photographed landmark for locals and visitors alike, and this work helps us target conservation where it’s needed most, and plan safe public access so people can continue to enjoy it.”
Specialist conservators carry out the inspections at close range. Working stone by stone, they check the fabric by hand and lightly “sound” the surface with a small tool to detect hollow tones that can indicate decay not visible to the eye. Any loose, cracked or delaminating masonry is recorded so targeted repairs can be planned.
Now that inspections and repairs are complete, HES is working towards safely reopening the site to visitors.
Known locally as the ‘Old Man of Wick’, the surviving four-storey tower stands on a narrow rocky headland that juts out into the North Sea, with a deep rock-cut ditch and earthworks behind. While tradition places its origins with Earl Harald Maddadson (12th century), the surviving fabric is understood to date to the 14th century or later. Its exposed coastal setting has contributed to ongoing deterioration of the masonry.
Find out more about HES’s High-Level Masonry programme, you can also check out our 'behind the scenes' video.
Extracted from HES website read more here