Press Release

HRH THE DUKE OF YORK TO COMMEMORATE RESTORATION OF ‘WOLF’S LAIR’

5 July 2005

The Crown Estate’s Glenlivet estate is set to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of York on Thursday 14th July 2005, when he will visit Drumin Castle to commemorate the completion of its restoration.

The £300,000 five-year project by The Crown Estate to renovate the grounds and ruins of the 14th century Drumin Castle on the Glenlivet estate and to make the building accessible to the public has now been completed.

The historic Drumin Castle has walls over two metres thick and was once the residence of Alexander Stewart (1342-1406), otherwise known as ‘The Wolf of Badenoch’. Noted for his temper and harsh justice, and remembered for the sacking and burning of Elgin Cathedral (1390) as part of a long-term feud with the Bishop of Moray, Drumin was one of several castles used by ‘The Wolf’ when on excursions away from his main residence in the island fortress at Lochindorb near Grantown on Spey.

Following centuries of deterioration, Drumin Castle, known locally as the ‘Wolf’s Lair’, lay out-of-bounds for many years until local resident Cathy Reid instigated the stabilisation and renovation project, to protect the castle from further deterioration.

The completion of the restoration works is to be marked by a ceremony where HRH The Duke of York will meet members of the local community and the contractors involved in the project, while being given a guided tour of the castle.

The £300,000 renovation project has been undertaken by The Crown Estate, with funding assistance from Historic Scotland, Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise, Moray Council and the EU Community Economic Development Programme.

Andrew Wells, Countryside and Forest Services Manager for The Crown Estate, said: “The project and has involved the complete re-pointing and repair of the castle walls and adjacent walled garden, the restoration of the impressive lower vault of the castle, the construction of a new car park, new footpaths, landscaping and interpretation works.

“We are absolutely delighted that The Duke is able to join us on what will be a great community occasion and I am sure he will be impressed by the sense of history and mystery which the castle displays. The Crown Estate’s Glenlivet estate has many attractions and the completion of this project will help attract more visitors to this remote part of Moray, boosting tourism and adding significantly to the enjoyment of a visit to this wonderful part of Scotland.”

The castle is set to become an important landmark on the Glenlivet estate and will hopefully become an established part of the popular Grampian Castle Trail. Very sadly Cathy Reid, a well admired and respected local resident, passed away last October. While she did not live to see the works finally complete, she was absolutely delighted at the improvements that had been made before her death, and felt tremendously proud of the part she played in the care and protection of one of Moray’s most interesting ancient monuments.

Further information about the castle can be found at the Drumin Community website