Recording the restoration

Given the location of the Castle and the scale of the project, it was decided that recording the restoration through a series of drone photographs would be the best approach.

Kate Neville, who undertook this project, said: ‘It has been a privilege to record the restoration and repair of Rosslyn Castle and to see from the air the various stages of a permanent roof going up on the Great Hall and Tower.

Bird's eye view

A drone enables a birds-eye view of the land below and of the wider landscape. From a unique position in the sky, I photographed the various stages of this project over 18 months. There were challenges, because of the proximity to the heavily wooded area of Roslin Glen that surrounds the Castle. I had to survey the area first, to find small clearings close to the Castle, that would enable me to safely put the drone up, to be able to capture both building work and landscape, from different angles and positions. I made sure that I returned to the same spots and as accurately as I could, height each time, so the various stages could be recorded as a visual comparison.

Over several visits, starting in February 2023, I photographed the Castle when the scaffolding was first up, and the Great Hall and Tower were still open to the elements. Then again in May, when the protective canopy was covering the site, so work could begin.

In February 2024, I was back to photograph the Castle when the canopy came off. This showed a first glimpse of the new roof, albeit still surrounded by scaffolding. A further visit in July revealed the new Great Hall and Tower in its finished state.’