Taylor and Fraser has just broken ground on the £2.6m Phase 2 of the Castle of Mey Granary Restoration and Redevelopment project. The £330k Phase 1 involved the conservation and restoration of the roofs and the external fabric on the historic three storey granary building. This work was completed last year for the Castle of Mey Trust.
The Castle of Mey, located in Caithness on the North Coast of Scotland, holds rich history and dates back to 1572. It was property of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 to 1996, when Her Majesty generously gifted it with an endowment to The Trust.
The works by Taylor and Fraser comprise a new build corporate building clad in timber and locally sourced Caithness stone providing corporate, conferencing, and banqueting facilities along with the conversion of the existing granary building to provide twelve high quality en-suite bedrooms.
Angus MacInnes, Construction Director at Taylor and Fraser, said; “This phase includes the creation of a high quality new build corporate facility along with the internal reconfiguration and subdivision of the existing granary building, to create high quality guest bedroom accommodation. This allows us to help realise the Trust’s ambitions of being able to offer a corporate facility to support its work at the Castle of Mey.”
This project utilises Taylor and Fraser’s in-house building services team allied to its experience of working in remote locations, with around 60% of the works being delivered through a local Caithness supply chain and strategic partners.
As a company with over 112 years experience, we have extensive knowledge of working in remote locations. We have a strong understanding of the challenges these locations can pose, and our know-how allows us to successfully operate our work regardless of location.
Shirley Farquhar, Managing Director of the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, said “The Granary is an incredibly exciting and important project for the Trust, which will enable us to generate year round employment as well as seasonal –the ripple effect to the local economy will be considerable.This exceptional venue will host weddings and conferences, along with accommodation consisting of 10 en-suite double bedrooms – all built to the highest specification. It is very important to the Trust that local tradesmen are used and are delighted that Taylor and Fraser have subcontracted much of the work to a Caithness firm. Taylor and Fraser have proven to be a very efficient team who have worked very sympathetically to the requirements of the project.”
Taylor and Fraser is proud to be playing a part in the restoration and redevelopment of the prestigious Castle of Mey building.
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