Kilwinning Abbey Heritage Crime Appeal for Information

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is appealing to members of the public for information after a very serious incident of heritage crime took place at Kilwinning Abbey.

The damage was done to the 13th century pier of the Abbey, which supports the arched entrance into what used to be the abbey’s south-west tower. One of the lower courses of the pier has been completely destroyed, with the stone still lying on the scene of the crime.

HES is working closely with Police Scotland to investigate the incident. To avoid any further damage to the pier, a replacement stone will be cut using templates from the neighbouring stones and installed into the void.

Gillian Gardner, Physical Security Senior Manager at HES, said:

“This is the worst case of heritage crime I have seen in a long time. It is heart-breaking to see historic fabric destroyed in this manner.

“As highlighted in our recent campaign with CrimeStoppers and Police Scotland, heritage crime is a serious matter which damages our historic sites and robs us of our history. Reckless acts such as this one carry the risk of serious injury to both the perpetrator and anyone else on-site. Not only is it dangerous, but this kind of vandalism has a knock-on effect on all of our sites, as our conservation specialists are pulled away from their core conservation work on other monuments to tend to these incidents.

“We urge anyone with information regarding this incident that could help investigations to get in touch with Police Scotland on 101; or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.”

We're the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We are at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future. Across Scotland, we investigate and record architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes and care for more than 300 properties of national importance. HES is also working with sector partners to deliver Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.

Historic Scotland, trove.scot, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Stòr are sub-brands of HES.

More about our communications office

Sign-up to receive our media releases

For further information, please contact:

Historic Environment Scotland Communications Office
07721 959 962
communications@hes.scot