The
sculptured stone from Hilton is now in the National Museum of Scotland,
Edinburgh. It is said to have stood near the ruins of the chapel, the remains of
which can be seen between the shore and cliff-side at the Northeast end of
Hilton village.
This unique project came about due to the efforts over many years of the late Mrs. Jane Durham MBE and Mrs. Dolly McDonald in campaigning for the return of the 'Hilton' stone to its original home.
The
sculptured stone from Hilton is now in the National Museum of Scotland,
Edinburgh. It is said to have stood near the ruins of the chapel, the remains of
which can be seen between the shore and cliff-side at the Northeast end of
Hilton village.
The stone was rediscovered in 1811 lying on the foreshore. One face of the sculpture, probably containing a cross, had been completely removed so as to allow for its use as a grave slab. A crudely carved shield bears an inscription to an Alexander Duff and his three wives dated 1676. Local legend says that after this early form of vandalism (by 'The barbarous mason of Ross', Hugh Miller), the slab was deemed too heavy to transport to Fearn Abbey a few miles away, resulting in the sculpture being discarded where it lay.
Even after its rediscovery in the 19th century it was not afforded much honour. It was left in a nearby shed until the 1860's when it was removed by the Macleods of Cadboll who had it re-erected beside the avenue to Invergordon Castle in an area known as the 'American Garden'. There it remained until 1921 when it was sent to the British Museum in London. There was such an outcry over this move that within the year it was sent back north to Scotland getting as far as Edinburgh, where it remains to this day.
The year 2000 saw the return of the Hilton stone in the form of a stone reconstruction carved by sculptor Barry Grove. The artist had been commissioned by, and worked closely with, Mr Richard Easson of Tain Civic Trust to reproduce this sculpture, as closely as possible as to how the original would have appeared when freshly carved. For many years members of the local community have wished for the return of this valuable monument to their village.
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The 7 ton slab of sandstone came from Clashach Quarry near Hopeman in Moray and took 3 weeks to dress (make a level surface).
Application of the design to the slab took a further 8 weeks as much of the original stone is badly weathered or missing- thus requiring a lot of supposition on the part of the sculptor.
The detail below shows the initial layout sketch for one of the 3 main panels contained within this face. The original Hilton stone suffered a catastrophic break halfway down this panel many centuries ago and subsequently the base remained hidden, indeed lost, until September 2001.
The start of many months of carving.
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The carving was completed using traditional hand carving techniques with the tools illustrated in this photograph. In this way the sculptor was able to convey the work involved in the original stone, enabling a better understanding and a more realistic feel to the whole project.
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Painting the design onto
the stone allowed for greater durability during the 14 months it took to
carve. As well as the usual activity surrounding the process of carving around
2000 visitors came to the studio to view the work in progress. 
Detail showing the beautiful, intricate design of 32 triple and 8 double spirals interlinked.
The carving nears completion.
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Upon completion the next problem was how to erect the slab safely in its new site near St. Mary's Chapel, Hilton? It is at this stage that Historic Scotland joined the project to oversee and design the method of installation. The carved surface was covered with hessian cloth and 25mm thick neoprene for protection. A carefully designed 2 ton 'cage' was then welded completely around the slab to facilitate putting the sculpture into a vertical position and into its foundation.
The moment of truth approaches!
Last minute adjustments.
After 18 months work the new 'Hilton Stone' stands proudly at the edge of the village.
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