Unlike working in a beauty salon, construction is one of those industries where your creative work will last for many generations.
But no matter how great your plasterwork, bricklaying skills or roofing prowess, there will come a time when what you do now will need to be redone.
That’s exactly what’s been happening this summer at one of Scotland’s most instantly recognizable landmarks, the Glenfinnan Monument.
The tower was built in 1815 by Alexander MacDonald of Glenaladale to honour his ancestors and the fallen Jacobites. For 200 years visitors have been coming to Glenfinnan to remember the Jacobite cause.
The trouble is that, while the uprising has been commemorated, the monument itself hasn’t and as a result has it now sits at an angle that rivals the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Surveys by the National Trust had shown the tower was leaning by about 260 millimeters west, so it was time to give the old lady of Loch Shiel a little support in her old age.
Earlier this summer scaffolding went up and some hi-tech wizardry was installed to allow the Trust to monitor the tower’s condition.
Trust Surveyor Glyn Young commented, “Laser survey points have been put in place at the top and bottom of the 18-metre structure, and fixed ground survey points have also been put in place with the agreement of our neighbour.
“This will mean we can be confident the information about the position of the tower is completely consistent, which makes it easier to spot patterns, telling us for example, if the movement is linked to the seasons or to the water table.”
And while the scaffolding has been in place, the Trust with additional funding from Historic Environment Scotland and private donors, has taken the opportunity to give the monument a face lift.
Specialist builders Masonry and Lime Ltd from Elgin have made repairs to masonry on the monument and boundary wall; replaced lime pointing; renewed the roof; installed a more accessible hatch at the top of the monument and a created new handrail to help visitors climb the twisting steps to the very top.
The scaffolding is down now, just in time for summer visitors to see the monument restored to its original splendour.
Property Manager, Kirsteen Nielsen says: “The Glenfinnan Monument is one of Scotland’s most photographed locations, and after 200 years in this exposed location, it was in need of some TLC to make sure it still stands tall for generations to come.”