Late on Friday, 18th December, fire broke outinthe North Cottage opposite the Castle. Within a very short space of time it had gained a hold throughout the building and despite the Fire Brigade coming to our aid very quickly, they were unable to control the fire. It is believed that the fire was caused at the electric meters which are located under the south gable of the dwelling house but we have been unable to prove this conclusively as the electric gear was burnt out. There is some suspicion that the fire may have been the result of faulty electrics provided by Scottish Power but again it is almost impossible to prove this and it is up to the insurance company to do so if it so wishes. The fire has completely gutted the cottage, the ground floor in which were work shops, the adjoining sawmill and part of a store ..

One of the most serious problems which occurred during the fire was the lack of water even though there is a mains supply to the castle complex. This was insufficient for the Fire Brigade to draw upon and there was aconsiderable delay while they had to pump water from a stream some distance away. Within a few hours of the fire becoming public knowledge, the local building inspector was on the site and had placed a 'Notice to Remove from a Dangerous Building' which meant that we,had to immediately shore up the remaining structure and seal it off from access by anyone including our own staff and even the owner. The practical outcome of this was that it interfered with our access into the Clan Office which is only accessible from the door opposite the cottage and .

Ian did marvellously well to take out all his papers and machinery which he required to continue the running of the Clan Hunter Association. Scaffolding was eventually erected and this is the situation in which we now stand.

Inevitably, press reports were inaccurate and North Cottage was referred to as "part of Hunterston Castle". In fact embers were falling on to the roof of the Castle, giving rise to fears that the Castle would catch fire, but strenuous efforts by the crews offourfire tenders prevented this happening. The Castle and the Clan library escaped damage, though they were only fifteen yards from the seat of the fire ..

The Chief has appointed Mr. Patrick Lorimer of ARP Architects to act on behalf of himself and you will be interested to hear that he is a distant relation of Sir Robert Lorimer who signifIcantly altered the Castle complex in the early 20th century. A specification has been drawn up for the replacement of the cottage and it is hoped to take the opportunity to modernise the ground floor facilities to form a tearoom and shop. The building is Grade A Listed which has both advantages and disadvantages, the former being that Value Added Tax is not charged on the repair work and the latter, we have to reconstruct the building in exactly the same form as it was originally. Various offers have now been received from builders and the projected costs to replace the structure as it was could be as high as £145,000. The Estate is insured with Commercial Union and negotiations are going on at the present time to agree what is to happen next. It is hoped that a new roof will be put on the structure before the winter but it is likely that the entire project will not be finished until Spring 1994.

Clan members will be pleased to hear that now that the structure is now adequately shored up, full access is available to the Clan Office and shop and there is no hindrance of access to the castle. We would like to thank all those who have expressed sympathy for our loss and if any Clan member would like further information concerning the details of the reconstruction, then please call the Clan Office.