If you are planning a conservation or restoration project and want expert guidance, reach out to start the conversation.
The Skinnet and Ulbster Stones are two standout Pictish carved monuments from Caithness, now displayed at the North Coast Visitor Centre in Thurso.
These stones are nationally important survivors, but both have faced risks from past damage, handling, and long-term exposure. Conservation work has focused on stabilising the carved surfaces and presenting the stones safely in Thurso so their detail can be studied and enjoyed without accelerating deterioration.
For the Skinnet Stone, which had been broken into six pieces after its removal, the fragments were professionally conserved and reassembled in 2008.
For the Ulbster material, recent work included the cleaning and conservation of the newly found “Ulbster 2” stone (discovered in 2022), supported by grant funding so it could be unveiled and displayed at the North Coast Visitor Centre.
The Skinnet Stone includes rare imagery (including a horse-drawn vehicle) and exceptional interlace, while the Ulbster Stone is noted for its unusually rich range of symbols—details that are easily lost once stone begins to decay. Protecting and properly displaying them preserves irreplaceable evidence of Pictish art and belief, and keeps a major part of Caithness heritage accessible in the region.
If you are planning a conservation or restoration project and want expert guidance, reach out to start the conversation.
