A 200-year-old marble plague at Glenfinnan Monument has been refurbished by the National Trust for Scotland in time for the anniversary of the ‘Raising of the Standard’.

The event on August 19, 1745, was the beginning of the final Jacobite Rising and meticulous restoration work was carried out by a specialist team over the course of four days to ensure the plaque’s legibility and aesthetic appeal for years to come.

The monument stands as a tribute to the people who gave their lives to the Jacobite Cause between in 1745-1746 and has been cared for by the conservation charity since 1938, and they were keen to ensure that the landmark was there for future generations to enjoy.

The work largely focused on treating the plaque to remove black algae and mould which thrives in Glenfinnan’s damp west coast climate, before each of its 520 carved letters were cleaned and repainted.

It’s the first stage of a wider conservation project at Glenfinnan Monument with the next part set to see repairs made to the exterior stonework around the parapet, statue plinth, doorway and perimeter wall. That includes moss removal and repointing joints in the masonry to guard against water ingress.

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Gaining access to the top of the tower will require the use of a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) for the first time ever at the historic site.

Further work inside the Glenfinnan Monument will focus on repairing the lime mortar in failing joints and removing calcification before undertaking cleaning and repainting of the lime-washed walls up the 64-step spiral staircase.

A team that was researching the history of the marble plaque discovered that it had been removed as part of major restoration work undertaken by the charity in the 1930s when the tower first came into the trust’s care.

Emily Bryce, Operations Manager at Glenfinnan Monument for the National Trust for Scotland, said: “We have enjoyed seeing the 19th century marble brought back to life this summer and thoroughly admire the steady hand of the specialist stone conservator, who repainted all 520 letters as she sheltered in a makeshift tent to escape the drizzle.

“The plaque’s story after it was removed is an intriguing one. From reading archive letters, it would seem that no one thought it looked good above the door, and, combined with structural challenges in returning it there, the decision was made not to reattach it.

“The plaque was offered to the village church, then the West Highland Museum, but one local stakeholder at the time suggested it be taken out into Loch Shiel and sunk to be rid of it! Thankfully, it suffered no such drastic fate and was inserted into the interior of the perimeter wall surrounding the Monument instead.

The Glenfinnan MonumentThe Glenfinnan Monument (Image: National Trust for Scotland)

“Conserving this 60-foot structure on an exposed spot at the head of the loch is no easy feat. It is a privilege for the National Trust for Scotland to be custodians to a landmark that remembers such a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, and in the words of the plaque itself, to ‘the generous zeal and inviolable fidelity’ of the Highlanders who ‘fought and bled in that arduous and unfortunate enterprise,’ the 1745-6 Jacobite Rising.

“We are grateful for funding support from Historic Environment Scotland for this restoration project, as well as ongoing generosity of our charity’s members and supporters, which enables us to continue to preserve, care for and share Scotland’s heritage.”

The monument commemorates the day when Bonnie Prince Charlie gathered 1,200 Highland to a remote Highland hamlet in the days prior to road and railway. The raised the standard and pledged their allegiance before setting off in their bid to regain the throne for the Stuarts.

It ended in defeat at Culloden and changed the Highlands and Gaelic communities forever and visitors can now view the newly restored plaque in the Glenfinnan Monument garden.