Denmylne Castle

Researching historic buildings can provide clues to help in repair and restoration, as with the ruined Denmylne Castle, Fife (below). Here we found that this 16th century Scottish tower house ahd once been the home of the early Scottish historian, Sir James Balfour (1604-1657), as well as Dr Andrew Balfour (1630-1694), a founder of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, before it fell into ruin after the bankrupcy of the family in 1750.

Our historic research, together with detailed examination of the remains of the tower, with its caphouse and fine corbelled wallhead, provided us with the basis for a conjectural reconstruction (below, right).

We also gained consent from Historic Scotland and grant aid for two campaigns of vegetation clearance, propping and emergency consolidation to stabilise and preserve the ruin. We went on to prepare a detailed strategy for the conservation and restoration of the monument, in an involvement that has lasted over 10 years so far.

Historic buildings are always preserved best by being used, and many ruined Scottish tower houses have been restored. The decision as to whether to restore or merely to stabilise and consolidate ruined historic buildings must always be based on thorough objective research to establish their individual significance and value. Whichever approach is decided, the first requirement is to clear encroaching vegetation and this should be carried out with great care as the walls may be held together, or even supported by the trees and ivy growing on (and in) them, so that structural intervention may also be needed to prevent collapse.