Scottish Castles Association

The Nigel Tranter Memorial Award for 2023 was awarded during the September tour of the Castles of Fife to Jennifer Merredew for her outstanding painted ceilings, which have enhanced the restoration of many Scottish castles over the last quarter century.

Many, but not all, of Jennifer’s painted ceilings adorn the homes of past and present SCA members, for example Barholm, Dairsie and Fa’side to name but a few. Her work can also be found on castle ceilings throughout the rest of the UK and on the continent.

She has been a member of the Scottish Castles Association for many years and her adverts in our members' publication The Journal have shown all members examples of her artwork even if they have never seen them on one of our tours. Each ceiling is unique to the castle, its history and of course the wishes of the present owners.

Jennifer expressed her thanks to the Association not only for the prestige of the award but also its timing, for she had decided to retire. Her work involved working from a scaffold and her shoulders could no longer sustain the repetitive demands which this work placed on them.

Our President Richard Oram placed the formal Helmet of Office temporarily on her head while John Hunter helped keep it in place. John also gave her two permanent mementoes of her Award – an inscribed decanter and a certificate which had been designed by Robert Bogdan.

Extract from Issue 29 of The Journal, by John Hunter