The Problem

Old Castle Lachlan is at risk of serious collapse in several areas.

Expensive, specialist work is needed to prevent this and everything that is done must be agreed by Historic Scotland, the public body charged with safeguarding Scotland's historic environment. Old Castle Lachlan is protected in law - it is both an ancient monument and a listed building. We have spent several years working on a conservation scheme with Historic Scotland and our outline plans have been agreed by them. We all want to strive for the highest possible standards in the work we need to do on the castle.

These are some of the more urgent things we need to tackle:
 
North West corner
There is a major crack running from the wall walk at the top almost to ground level. The wall is very thick and there is a lot of ivy growing in and on it. Water is getting in and washing out the material that fills the centre of the wall, which we think is clay. — If this continues, the corner will collapse and this may threaten the whole of the remaining structure. — We need to repair this crack to stabilise the building.

Vaulted rooms
There are rooms with vaulted ceilings on the ground floor that were the kitchen and store rooms. These are showing signs of stress, and important supports, including a lintel, are breaking. An earlier attempt to protect them, with a layer of concrete on the floor above, is now also creating problems. — We need to stop water getting in, remove the concrete, support the vaulting and repair the stonework. 

Ivy
Ivy and other vegetation has taken deep root into the walls of the castle. It may even be holding it up in places. But over time this can only hasten the collapse of the castle. — We need to remove the ivy and repair the damaged walls.

Entrance ramp
The retaining wall that supports the ramp up to the entrance is leaning and crumbling. — We need to fell some trees that are undermining the wall, repair it, resurface the ramp and erect a gate to control access to the interior. 

Wall walks
There is a walk around the ramparts that we cannot survey properly without the risk of causing more damage. But the masonry is crumbling and there are many loose stones. This is a danger to the public as well as a problem for the survival of the castle. — We need to erect scaffolding around the entire structure to survey the problem in detail, do the repairs and put up a staircase for access. 

Lachlan River bridge
Visitors currently park at Inver Cottage Restaurant and cross a wooden bridge then follow rough paths to get to the castle and coastal walks. — We need to improve car parking, erect a better bridge and create proper paths to ensure public safety and access not just to the castle but around the headland and bays.