For Laings Traditional Masonry a fascinating part of the £1million restoration of Craigievar Castle near Alford in Aberdeenshire has been the creation of 23 Stone ‘water cannons’, one for each of the 23 masons and apprentices working on the project.

Many of the original cannons were lost or damaged decades ago and conservation staff at the National Trust for Scotland, who are undertaking the project, decided it was important to restore the spouts and commissioned Laings Traditional Masonry of Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, to craft the new pieces. They have used Wild Pink sandstone from Stancliffe for the work.

Neither the originals nor the replacements are in fact spouts for throwing water from the gutters out from the walls because they do not have holes going all the way through them. There are gargoyles for that and Laings are also carving some new versions of those. The cannons seem to be primarily for decoration.

National Trust for Scotland Lead Surveyor Ian Davidson is leading the project on Craigievar Castle. He says: “We thought it was important to create something new rather than attempt to recreate the past. These are the types of judgements that need to be made continuously during a conservation project of this scale.

“We do not know exactly how they looked originally, but through careful research, we feel confident that the new pieces will add a great deal to the look of the castle.

“The work to create these important pieces of stonework for Craigievar Castle is a once in a century opportunity.”

Steven Laing, Managing Director at Laings Traditional Masonry, says: “The team are thoroughly enjoying this latest piece of the project. Each mason has the chance to make their mark on a stone that will survive for centuries and that will be enjoyed by future generations. It is a great honour to be taking on an important role in restoring one of Scotland’s most prestigious castles to its former glory.“

Laing’s contribution to the project has included conservation work to all stone sculptural pieces as well as the removal of a cement render to replace it with lime harling.