If you are planning a conservation or restoration project and want expert guidance, reach out to start the conversation.
The Kilkivan Grave Markers are a group of eight medieval West Highland carved grave slabs at Kilkivan, including figures such as a fully armoured knight and an abbot.
After decades lying exposed (with weathering worsened by acid rain), the carvings and the surrounding ruin needed urgent action to prevent further loss. Emergency conservation was planned alongside making the church fabric safer, so the stones could be protected properly.
The slabs were lifted and removed from the site and taken to the Edinburgh workshop of stone conservator Nic Boyes for safekeeping and treatment (completed as an emergency stage in December 2024). Stabilisation works were also carried out at Kilkivan (including stabilising the church’s south wall) to enable safe handling and future site improvements.
These carved slabs are described as among Scotland’s most important 14th–15th century graveslabs, and once their surface detail erodes it cannot be recovered. Removing and conserving them now protects rare medieval craftsmanship and supports the plan to return them to Kilkivan for display in a suitable shelter for long-term public access.
If you are planning a conservation or restoration project and want expert guidance, reach out to start the conversation.
