A SCOTTISH castle believed to have inspired Walt Disney has had its iconic pink colour restored.
Craigievar Castle was first built in 1626 by Aberdonian merchant William Forbes and has remained effectively unchanged since.
The castle in Aberdeenshire has been undergoing essential maintenance work for over a year near the village of Alford.
After it was affected by wet weather, the National Trust for Scotland’s (NTS) Pink Again project aimed to carry out high level repairs to the building’s roof and harling, while refreshing the lime wash that gives the castle its distinctive look.
The centre has been closed to visitors while the work took place and a grand reopening for the public is expected in the spring.
James Henderson from the National Trust for Scotland previously said: “It’s already known around the world, ultimately for potentially being the inspiration behind Disney Cinderella Castle, but definitely for being pink.
“We want to keep the building as protected as possible. While the harling and the limescale on the outside do an excellent job, there are vulnerable areas where water can seep in.
“If we can add some subtle details which aren’t visible from ground level that won’t change the overall aesthetic of the overall building – it is still as it was and how people remember it, but it will do a better job of protecting the building overall.”
Annie Robertson from the NTS said: “Craigievar came to the trust in the 1960s and until then it had been home to the same family for hundreds of years and very much the castle we inherited was as they had it, as they lived in it, it was their home.
“Part of the agreement of the trust taking over the property is that there wouldn’t be great changes and the castle hasn’t seen much change since it was completed in the early 17th century. So it doesn’t have electricity on the upper floors for example, it very much still feels like a family home.”
