Nominee Summary
Fairburn Tower is a rare example of a surviving tower house from the Scottish Renaissance dating from around 1545. The tower fell into disrepair and became a ruin for over one hundred years. It was on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland, until it was identified by the Landmark Trust as a potential project. Simpson & Brown was appointed by the Landmark Trust to rescue the tower to become a self-catering holiday let. The project carefully balances authentic restoration and creative, sustainable retrofit providing the historic building with an appropriate reuse which meets today’s visitor expectations.
Building quality
Work began on Fairburn Tower in January 2020. The first step was to scaffold the fragile tower, to prevent any further movement. The scaffold took more than three months to erect, often in wintry conditions, to create a complex structure laced around the building. This held the historic masonry securely in place, especially important for the stair tower which was starting to detach. In March 2020, just as the scaffolding neared completion, the Coronavirus pandemic hit and all construction stopped in Scotland. In autumn 2020 we were able to inspect and record the tower fully for the first time. This close inspection enabled detailed planning for masonry repairs, and our contractor’s skilled masons worked throughout the winter and spring of 2021 to secure and rebuild the tower. Algae was cleaned off stonework before the cracks were consolidated and repaired. New stone was introduced where necessary and a great deal of re-pointing with hot lime mortar was undertaken, protecting areas of progress with hessian during the harshest weather. In 2021, the joiners moved on site, introducing floors and roof timbers. Fairburn’s historic bartizans were reinstated, gutters fitted and slates laid. Through the second winter, specialist crafstmen used timber formwork and special concrete mixes to reintroduce a spiral staircase, created step by step in situ, stitching the historic stair tower back together. During 2022, traditional shutterboard windows were crafted and carefully installed. Harling and plastering was applied, electrics fixed and bathrooms and a kitchen introduced, the latter by Landmark’s own joinery team.
Ethical/environmental standards
SUSTAINABILITY The project saw the existing ruined structure stabilized, consolidated and, where necessary, rebuilt. The thickness of the stone walls meant additional insulation could not be integrated without significantly compromising the internal spaces which were already restricted in size. Instead the walls were harled internally and externally to maintain a fully breathable natural wall construction. Where possible all new building fabric was insulated, including the roof and the bathroom pods. The new oak shutterbox windows, were designed with secondary glazing to achieve a traditional appearance and reduce heat loss. Solar PV was integrated outwith the building.
Community impact
The restored tower, with its now famous pink harl, is a proud beacon for the local area. The building has now welcomed hundreds of guests, and continues to see almost 100% occupancy bringing economic benifit to the local area. It employs local people manage and maintain the building. The building opens to the community for free visits on heritage Doors Open Days and regularly hosts heritage groups interested in seeing the restoration.
