CRATHIE , Scotland, Jan. 5 (UPI) — A flooded river is threatening a 16th-century Scottish castle to the point that a corner of the castle has no earth beneath it.
It is a potential 12-foot drop into the River Dee for Abergeldie Castle, located adjacent to Queen Elizabeth II’s Balmoral Castle in Scotland’s Aberdeenshire. Heavy and steady rain caused the river to overflow its banks, eroding about 60 feet of earth typically between the river and the building. Owner John Gordon, 76, the Baron of Abergeldie, evacuated his 450-year old home.
“He is OK but he’s obviously upset. If that bank goes, it’s going to be like a pack of cards. That’s the trouble with these old buildings. They don’t have much foundation,” a friend of Gordon’s told the British newspaper The Telegraph..
Engineers will visit the castle on Tuesday to see if the building, with one corner lacking any support beneath it, can be secured.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency issued 35 flood warnings after a storm struck last week. Roads have been closed, train service has been disrupted and responders have rescued people from cars and homes. Wind and rain have continued throughout Scotland Monday, and more is expected Tuesday.
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