RESTORATION

As an 800-hundred-year-old Grade A listed building in such an exposed location, Dunvegan Castle is in constant need of repair as is the historic collection within its fortified walls. As a visitor to Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, you make a vital contribution to our ongoing mission to preserve, develop and share the historic fabric of the castle and its five acres of formal garden policies for future generations to enjoy.

Since 2008, the MacLeod Estate has funded an ambitious range of restoration projects at Dunvegan Castle & Gardens which have cost over £4 million to date. This rolling capital investment was initiated by a £650,000 Historic Scotland grant for the castle’s £1.2 million roof restoration project in 2010, which the MacLeod Estate majority funded by incurring very high debt levels which remain to this day. The balance of £2.8 million has been funded solely by the Estate from its trading profits after tax.

The remit of the phased restoration works at Dunvegan Castle & Gardens is to reveal more of the original features and add new features within an overall design aesthetic that is sympathetic to Dunvegan’s historic setting. The cumulative impact of these phased works so far, which have been largely accomplished in-house, has been widely recognised with Dunvegan winning the prestigious Historic Houses Restoration Award in 2019, the ‘Helping it Happen’ Tourism Award in 2018, a 5* quality assurance grading by VisitScotland since 2016, in addition to being shortlisted by the UK Heritage Awards and the Scottish Rural Awards in 2019 among others.

In common with all built heritage, the castle, gardens and estate buildings cost a small fortune to maintain in Skye’s unforgiving climate. The Estate’s policy has always been to reinvest the seasonal fruits of our labours back into preserving our precious heritage and improving the visitor experience, but there is only so much we can achieve with our limited resources. If you would like to support our ongoing mission to preserve, develop and share the unique history of Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, please join our Friends of Dunvegan membership scheme, purchase an item from our Online Shop, or make a donation to the following dedicated estate account:

Account name: MacLeod Estate Restoration
Account Number: 00311874
Sort Code: 60-93-03
IBAN: GB19 WBYS 6093 0300 3118 74

Any donations, however large or small, will be gratefully received, and will help fund the circa £2.5 million of vital outstanding restoration works, including the restoration of the castle’s medieval kitchen and replacement of the building’s failing cement harling. We thank you for your support.