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Castle Sinclair Girnigoe FAS CASTLE SINCLAIR GIRNIGOE CONSERVATION PLAN VOLUME 2 SIGNIFICANCE AND CONSERVATION CAITHNESS SCOTLAND NOVEMBER 2003 H ISTORIC BUILDINGS SECTION CONSERVATION PLAN CASTLE SINCLAIR GIRNIGOE VOLUME 2 SIGNIFICANCE AND CONSERVATION Prepared for THE CLAN SINCLAIR TRUST Supported by Registered in England No. 2801722 VAT Registration No. 599 0974 69 FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIALISTS LTD University of York TELEPHONE (01904) 433952 King's Manor FACSIMILE (01904) 433935 York YO1 7EP E-MAIL [email protected] CLIENT CLAN SINCLAIR TRUST 137 Claxton Grove London W6 8HB PROJECT TEAM Dr Jonathan Clark BA MA DPhil Andrew Copp BA MA Justin Garner Lahire BA Sandra Jack BA MA Richard Jackson BA Amy Jones BA MA Adam Nash BSc MA REPORT PREPARED BY Dr Jonathan Clark BA MA DPhil Sandra Jack BA MA REPORT REVIEWED BY Rochelle Rowell BA MA DPhil REPORT AUTHORISED BY Justin Garner-Lahire BA Registered in England No. 2801722 VAT Registration No. 599 0974 69 FAS_Volume 2 Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Conservation Plan.wpd i LIST OF CONTENTS Contents Page PART 3 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE 1 3.1 SUMMARY 1 3.2 BASIS OF ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 3 3.3 GENERAL STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 4 3.4 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR ELEMENTS ZONE BY ZONE 5 3.5 ISSUES AND VULNERABILITIES 10 PART 4 POLICIES 12 4.1 POLICIES FOR THE RETENTION OF SIGNIFICANCE 12 4.2 POLICIES FOR CHANGE AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF 14 SIGNIFICANCE 4.3 POLICIES FOR ACCESS, PRESENTATION AND USE 15 4.4 POLICIES FOR MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION 17 PART 5 IMPLEMENTATION STATEMENT 18 5.1 UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE 18 5.2 OPTIONS FOR TREATMENT 21 PART 6 GAZETTEER 28 ZONE 1 THE OUTER BAILEY 28 ZONE 2 THE NORTH RANGE 37 ZONE 3 THE TOWER HOUSE 40 ZONE 4 THE INNER BAILEY 42 ZONE 5 CASTLE HAVEN 48 ZONE 6 SURROUNDING AREA 50 Appendices J Preliminary tourism survey Ji FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIALISTS FAS_Volume 2 Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Conservation Plan.wpd PART 3 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIALISTS FAS_Volume 2 Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Conservation Plan.wpd 1 PART 3 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE 3.1 SUMMARY The site which is the focus of this Conservation Plan is historically significant within Caithness, having served as the seat of the Earls of Caithness for over two centuries. Since its abandonment, Castle Sinclair Girnigoe has taken on iconic status within the region, and is a well-known landmark and tourist attraction. Despite this, the site is at great risk from continued dilapidation and exposure along the sea coast. This threat has been internationally recognised with the castle’s placement on the World Monument Fund’s 2002 watch list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World. This Conservation Plan is intended to aid in the preservation of this site through the acknowledgement, retention and enhancement of its cultural significance. Heritage Asset Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is the result of construction on and occupation of the site from the late 14th to the late 17th centuries. Buildings remain standing within the Inner and Outer Baileys, and of particular note for their high level of preservation are the West Gatehouse and Tower House. Archaeological deposits on the site may relate to all periods of the castle’s occupation and disuse, and represent an invaluable record of the site which has never previously been investigated. Statutory and Non-Statutory Designations The Inner and Outer Baileys of the castle are protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. As stated above, the castle was included in the World Monument Fund’s 2002 watch list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites. Vulnerability The site has been in a state of ruin for over three hundred years and has been steadily deteriorating throughout this period. This process has accelerated over the last century, and the castle is now in danger of further collapse and loss of fabric, putting the structural stability and future survival of the castle at risk. Inevitably, this entails the loss of significant archaeological and architectural evidence, crucial to the understanding of the site, as well as the degradation of a highly valuable heritage asset. The castle is currently hazardous to the public, and further deterioration will raise serious doubts over the viability of future accessibility. Summary of Policies This Conservation Plan encompasses policies for the retention of significance, for guiding change and the enhancement of significance, policies for access, presentation and use and for the management of the site and the implementation of a management plan. These policies, briefly summarised, are: Policies for the retention of significance • Actions today should not compromise the availability of cultural resources in the future. • The castle must be consolidated to prevent further loss of historic fabric, areas of known structural weakness remedied as a matter of priority, and measures to prevent further deterioration undertaken. • Any proposals for the site of the castle should be based on an understanding of its archaeological and historical significance and should be sensitive to this. • Any proposals for the site of the castle should be based on an understanding of its environmental FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIALISTS FAS_Volume 2 Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Conservation Plan.wpd 2 significance and should be sensitive to this. • Efforts should be made to identify more closely the archaeological evidence relating to the outworks of the castle. • Evidence for the deliberate modification of the marine environment and the preservation of archaeological evidence below water should be fully assessed. Policies for change and the enhancement of significance • Prior to the finalisation of any development proposal, an appropriate scheme of archaeological evaluation must be undertaken. • Any development of the castle should seek to retain and enhance its historic and landscape contexts. • New build in any proximity to the castle should be sensitive to the historic setting and reversible, whilst respecting the extent of the scheduled monument and its immediate surroundings. • All fabric intervention or ground works associated with the development of the site should be either archaeologically monitored or undertaken by a suitable archaeological contractor. • Where there is opportunity, efforts should be made to understand the site more fully, both in terms of the archaeological evidence in and around the castle complex, and in relation to its landscape setting. • Where structural archaeological features are uncovered in situ, they should be preserved through either consolidation or backfilling, depending on archaeological and practical considerations. Policies for access, presentation and use • Sustainable and structured visitor access should be provided in and around the castle, designed in accordance with site layout. • Dangerous areas and structures must be made safe where public access is to be provided into the site. • It is necessary and desirable that disabled access be provided, as far as possible, across the site. Where such access remains difficult or impossible, alternative forms of site presentation will be provided. • Access to the castle should be improved, enabling all visitors to reach the site easily and without damage to local environmental significance. • Interpretation at a wide variety of levels should be provided on site. • Public and academic awareness of the site should be raised, highlighting its historical, archaeological and architectural significance. • Visitors will be encouraged to use appropriate entry routes into the site in order to discourage access across former structures which can cause damage to the site. • Where practicable, the provision of visitor service will be restricted to the outskirts of the site. • Long term financial provision should be made for the repair and upkeep of the site. Policies for management and implementation • A management plan/programme will be prepared for the site and reviewed at regular intervals. • Joint promotion with other cultural attractions in the north Caithness area will be reviewed. • Provision for the storage and curation of collections associated with the castle site should be made locally. • The Clan Sinclair Trust will seek full consultation with appropriate bodies in the drafting and implementation of a full management plan/programme for the site. • Regular reviews of the condition of all elements should be undertaken in order to identify areas in need FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIALISTS FAS_Volume 2 Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Conservation Plan.wpd 3 of repair and consolidation. 3.2 BASIS OF ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The identification of cultural significance in this document is based upon the recommendations of James Semple Kerr as set out in The Conservation Plan (1996), and on the general guidelines in the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Conservation Plans for Historic Places (1998). The cultural significance of any historic place is unique - it is derived from the particular history, archaeology, topography and condition of the site. The assessment of this significance for the purposes of a Conservation Plan is more detailed than that provided for the purposes of designation as a legally protected site. The aim is not simply to rank the place within a set of comparable places in order to identify and protect those of most importance, but rather, to provide a clear and detailed assessment of that comparative significance and of the significance of individual elements within the place. This provides the owners and users of historic places with a clear assessment, based on detailed research, of the significance of the whole site within its historic and geographical context and of the importance of its individual elements. The Conservation Plan allows for the formulation of management and development plans in which the retention of that significance is paramount. To be effective, therefore, each Conservation Plan must base its assessment of significance on criteria relevant to the place, and the issues addressed will vary from one Conservation Plan to another. For that reason, it is important that the criteria emerge as a logical progression from the understanding of the site and are clearly set out to facilitate their discussion between the drafters and the users of the Plan.
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