A ruined castle on the Ardnamurchan peninsula is to be restored and brought back into use.
Mingary Castle will be given a new lease of life after Historic Scotland and Highland Council approved plans by Shaw and Jagger Architects to return it to its former glory.
Architect Francis Shaw said: “The approval of extensive repair works to the castle will ensure that this historic structure will survive for future generations.”
Mingary Castle Preservation Trust and its team has worked closely with Historic Scotland’s officers, Dr Allan Rutherford and Dr Aonghus MacKechnie, to ensure best conservation principles were followed.
Historic Scotland was instrumental in ensuring the proposal for the scheme was a success and could be supported by Highland Council.
The trust is trying to raise funds in support of the restoration works and to maintain the historic building to ensure the “national treasure” has a sustainable future.
Mingary Castle sits on a collapsing volcanic sill which has had to be bolted together before any archaeology or conservation works could proceed safely.
The scaffolding around the ruin has cost about £200,000.
During the initial works, evidence from the castle’s occupation and violent skirmishes were brought to life when a cannonball from a 16th-century feud was discovered wedged in the stonework.
An arrowhead was also found in the ditch plus glass and pottery shards which indicated some of the castle’s former residents led a comfortable life.
The restoration of Mingary will take just over another year to complete.
Historic Scotland will continue to be involved by both ensuring the works are well executed and helping with guidance on detail.
The 13th-century castle has not been occupied for more than 150 years and the proposals are to reinstate the buildings as they were when last refurbished in the 1760s.