Castle in the pink after facelift

Craigievar Castle now has a distinctive pink shade

A two-year £500,000 facelift to return a 17th Century Aberdeenshire castle to its original look has been completed.

The National Trust for Scotland's Craigievar Castle, near Alford, now has a traditional lime-based alternative to concrete-based harling.

Experts believe it has returned the castle to what would have been its original shade of pink.

Project manager Ian Davidson said: "It would be fair to say that visitors to the castle will notice a change."

The project began in November 2007, and the building has been closed to the public and completely encased in scaffolding since.

Scaffolding was erected to allow the lengthy work

Mr Davidson said: "While the previous harl gave the building a reddish-orange appearance, the new lime coat means the castle is now noticeably pinker than before.

"We believe this is a close copy of the colour used on the castle in the past.

"Another benefit of the new lime mortar, as well as protecting the castle for many years to come, is that it will enable the castle to breathe."

Missing decorative stonework was also replaced, while other repairs were made to the roof and the windows.

Mr Davidson added: "I am tremendously proud of what the team has accomplished."

Craigievar Castle will reopen to the public for the season in Spring 2010. The garden and grounds continue to remain open.