A couple’s dream of transforming a Perthshire castle that lay derelict for 50 years into a luxury wedding venue has taken a major step forward.
Tracey Horton and Rob Beaton have spent almost £1.5 million on the castle, near Crieff.
Their project began in early 2019 and will require years of constant work to restore Culdees.
Having completed work on the grounds and the courtyard, next on the list is to restore the kitchen.
Culdees Castle has already hosted its first wedding, in October, with another much larger tying of the knot planned for Hogmanay.
Tracey said: “It has been very busy.
“We are hoping to start the bulk of the inside of the castle in January.
“That is quite exciting.”
The project has so far cost the couple £320,000 on the renovation work.
That is in addition to £360,000 on the installation of four glamping huts and £740,000 on the purchase of the castle.
If the work continues at its current pace, the couple plan to recruit staff next year.
Future projects include ‘ultimate jigsaw’
As part of her kitchen restoration, Tracey hopes to salvage the original ovens.
That would, she said, be a fitting way of marking local tradesman Jimmy McCrae’s involvement with the project.
“I’m told the ovens can be easily restored.
“Jimmy’s grandmother worked for 50 years at that oven. Hopefully we can get it restored and renovate the kitchen.
“When it’s done, I’d like to invite his family over for dinner.
“We think this next phase will take us about three or four months.”
Once the kitchen is complete, the couple will turn their attentions to restoring the chapel – located immediately above but in serious disrepair.
Tracey said: “I have spent a lot of time finding all the mosaique floor tiles and I’m hoping that with an old picture I’ve got of the chapel, I can recreate the floor.
“That will be the ultimate jigsaw.”
Glamping business ‘bonkers busy’
Tracey said the glamping pods in the estate of the Crieff castle have been “bonkers” busy.
That has led to a dilemma – with planning permission granted for a fifth pod – but with Tracey unable to dedicate any more time to their upkeep.
“I can’t do the castle renovation and the glamping so we’re in a bit of a catch 22 situation.
“If we get the other pod installed, we might have to take on staff.”
The glamping firm is, though, a much-needed income for the couple as they continue to pour funds back into the castle renovation.
“They are a great revenue stream,” Tracey said.
Bringing back a Culdees Castle tradition
While continuing their extensive refurbishment of the castle, the couple also want to bring back a tradition from yesteryear.
“We hosted a Christmas party for local children which is a tradition we want to reinstate.
“Years ago, the castle used to host a Christmas party for all the children in the village, so we wanted to bring that back.
About 60 children from Muthill Primary School will attend.
“We want to start doing things for the community, because we’ve had a lot of community support,” Tracey said.
Once the kitchen is finished, Tracey and Rob plan to organise private dining events to offset the cost of the renovations.
“Every room we renovate has got to earn its keep,” she said.
Culdees Castle history
The Crieff castle was designed and built in 1810 for Charles Drummond, whose clan was rewarded for fighting with Robert the Bruce.
But abandoned and unloved for more than half a century, it fell into serious disrepair.
A third of the roof was missing and there was extensive damage inside the 18-bedroom four-storey property.
