Windfall will help restore historic Brough Lodge in Fetlar
Rosalind GriffithsBrough Lodge in Fetlar has been awarded grants from Historic Scotland totalling £290,236, it was revealed this week.
The building is category A listed, with an interesting history and some unusual features, including a folly.
The Brough Lodge Trust, formed to restore the building, wants to offer high-quality visitor accommodation there linked to educational and cultural courses.
Brough Lodge will introduce guests to Shetland’s outstanding music and craft traditions, and offer opportunities to those interested in subjects such as archaeology, bird-watching, photography and poetry.
Trust chairman Pierre Cambillard said: “The assistance that Historic Scotland has provided for the initial phase of the restoration has been absolutely crucial, not only in saving the fabric, but also in helping to convince other funders of the merits of the project as fund-raising begins for the next phase.
“When the project is completed, tangible benefits will also flow to the local community in the form of increased employment and income generation, vital for an island economy that, historically, has been fragile. The trust is hugely appreciative of the support that Historic Scotland has provided and the helpfulness of Historic Scotland’s staff.”
Wayne Conroy
Is this more money or is this counted in the £417,000 already wasted in making this building just wind and watertight?
(For anyone that wonders where the rest of the cash has come from to fix this ruin – It came from the SIC and the Shetland Amenity Trust – Money that most certainly could have been spent elsewhere on far more worthwhile projects!)
“Brough Lodge will introduce guests to Shetland’s outstanding music and craft traditions” – Just as well seeing as they’re not teaching this in schools anymore due to lack of funds – Mmmmm… I wonder where some money could have been saved so that local children could continue to learn these things? Lets not even get into spending money on a ruin so that visitors can be educated in a time where most of the educational institutes across the Islands are closing!
“When the project is completed, tangible benefits will also flow to the local community in the form of increased employment and income generation”… Even with “high-quality visitor accommodation there linked to educational and cultural courses” (which will no doubt be too expensive for most Shetlanders to get any benefit from) how long do you think it will take before it could recoup the MILLIONS of pounds spent on this folly?
In a time where money is tight right across the country and cuts are being made to the young, elderly, the vulnerable and education it’s good to see such “worthwhile projects” receiving cash… (sarcasm by the way)
However you coat this it is a disgusting waste of money!
Jim Leask
@Wayne – You seem to have missed out Historic Scotland from your list of funders for the project.
John Coutts
Wayne, Historic Scotland was never going to provide money for music education in schools, no matter how valuable that may be perceived. This money came from an organisation that, among many other things, helps in the restoration of historic buildings. The name, Historic Scotland, is a bit of a giveaway.
Cuts are indeed being made to “the young, elderly, the vulnerable and education,” but that situation is not the responsibility of Historic Scotland; this grant of money did not prevent “the young, elderly, the vulnerable and education” getting the funding they need. It has nothing to do with that situation.
You are entitled to feel that this is a waste of money, if that’s what you think, but you are not entitled to claim that other sections of the community are being deprived of funding as a result of this grant. That just is not true. Perhaps if you think about it for a moment you’ll see what I mean.
John.
ian tinkler
Now just where Historic Scotland gets its money, would that be the same place as Creative Scotland. O yes that would be the same place as monies used for educating our children. Our taxes, nowhere else. To say funds wasted on idiotic prestige projects could not be spent better elsewhere; on education for example is utter nonsense. It is just a matter of priorities. Our political leaders somehow feel millions spent on idiocy is worth more votes than spending those funds on education. Only the utterly stupid seem unable to see that. My words are chosen with care here, not a wind up, just the simple truth.
wayne conroy
@Jim… I didn’t miss out Historic Scotland – The article was regarding Historic Scotland and their grants – I would have thought it obvious that they also funded the project.
@John Coutts… At no point did say the money from Historic Scotland could have been used elsewhere nor did I claim anywhere that other sections of the community are being deprived of funding as a result of the Historic Scotland grant. On the other hand I probably could have been clearer (and apologise for any misunderstanding) that the money I was speaking about that could and should have been used elsewhere was the cash received from the SIC and Amenity Trust.
Surely there is no denying the £127,000 from the Amenity Trust and SIC could not have been better used elsewhere than on a derelict building?
Whatever way you want to look at it this is a ruin of a building that has so far had nearly half a million pounds of tax payers money spent on it… An absolute disgusting waste of money!
Wayne Conroy
Sorry… Meant to say “Surely there is no denying the £127,000 from the Amenity Trust and SIC could have been better used elsewhere than on a derelict building”