Excavations in the Laird's Hall, Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire

In 1976 the National Trust for Scotland was gifted the Castle of Drum and its policies by the Irvine family. Although much was known about the later 17th-century additions to the castle and of the family who had owned it, comparatively little was known about the building of the original earlier tower of Drum. In 1991 the Trust financed an excavation to investigate the possibility of uncovering some evidence of the earlier life of the great tower and to try to date the structure. Excavation was of necessity restricted to the upper Laird's Hall and to part of the cellar. Although few datable artefacts were recovered, organic remains from floor deposits survived. The stone base of a screen was uncovered at the eastern end of the hall, along with post-holes and a post rest in the north-east corner, in the area where the stairs to the upper floor had stood. A small wooden musical instrument was recovered from the cellar.