Scottish castles, cathedrals – and a distillery – getting £40m boost

● Three-year plan to invest in historic buildings – and Outlander scenes

From castles to cathedrals and a distillery in Speyside whisky country, some of Scotland’s most cherished historic buildings are to benefit from a £40 million upgrade over the next three years.

Edinburgh Castle, Linlithgow Palace, Edinburgh Castle, Kilchurn Castle and Iona Abbey are amongst those to share the investment by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

Dallas Dhu Distillery near Forres in Moray, Fort George fortress near Inverness and Glasgow Cathedral also made the list of 20 properties prioritised for improvements by the heritage body.

Three sites which feature in popular television show Outlander are also included on the list given a surge in visitors to the landmarks.

Blackness Castle in West Lothian, which portrayed Fort William in the show, will be upgraded along with Doune Castle in Perthshire, which doubles as fictional Castle Leoch in the series.

Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh, which featured as Ardsmuir Prison in the time travelling story, will also benefit from the investment.

Alex Paterson, chief executive of Historic Environment Scotland, said: “These are ambitious plans which will set new standards for the care of our properties and provide world class visitor attractions with outstanding visitor experiences.”

A total of £12m will be spent on the properties in 2018-19

0 Doune Castle – a ‘star’ of the Outlander series – is to receive cash from Historic Environment Scotland as part of a £40m programme with the spending to be roughly replicated every year until the end of 2021-22.

The spending is due to enhance the condition of sites and improve the experience of visitors, HES said.

Edinburgh Castle is the top priority for improvement due, in part, to the risk of rock fall from the Castle Rock. As well as managing the deterioration of the volcanic mass, investment will be made to the castle gift shop, audio guides, internal redecoration and stained glass repairs.

Caerlaverock Castle near Dumfries, a 13th century moated stronghold, will be updated for the digital age with a new augmented reality app to allow visitors to collect a series of virtual anima- tions around the castle and its grounds. Doune Castle in Perthshire, which experienced a 42 per cent rise in visitors last year, will be improved with a new lighting system and a new exhibition on the castle’s history.

Meanwhile, repairs will be made to the main spire at Glasgow Cathedral along with the Black Adder roof and the North Choir stone.

Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for culture, said she was “pleased” with the investment plan with Historic Environment Scotland generating £528m for the economy in 2017 while supporting an estimated 15,300 full time jobs in Scotland.