The castle which provided Bram Stoker with the inspiration for Dracula has been closed to the public for the first time in a century.

The castle which provided Bram Stoker with the inspiration for Dracula has been closed to the public for the first time in a century.

Stakes have been hammered, not into the heart of vampires, but into the clifftop on which the ruined Slains Castle stands.

Attached to the stakes is fencing to keep the public away from the castle, which the owners say has been put there for health and safety reasons.

The public is unlikely to have the opportunity to wander among the ruins again as work is expected to start next year to restore it to the "living working building" it was when Bram Stoker strolled past it daily, drawing inspiration for his books, during his trips to Cruden Bay. Outline planning permission has been granted for around 32 flats in Slains, which was first built in 1597 by the 9th Earl of Erroll.

Considerable reconstruction was subsequently carried out by later Earls with the last changes in 1873.

The 20th Earl was forced to sell the castle in 1916 to meet death duties. The new owner allowed Slains to fall into disrepair and it was finally unroofed for safety reasons in 1925. The castle has attracted tourists with an interest in Dracula from all over the world and there has been considerable opposition to the development from those who believe it will now be lost to the area. Supporters argue that without the development it will eventually crumble into the sea and now it will be restored to its original splendour. Douglas Forrest, the architect for the Edinburgh-based Slains partnership which has taken over the site, said the move to fence off the castle had been made on the advice of insurers.

"Essentially it came down to the health and safety regulations," he said. "The ruin is due to become a development site and we can't have people running around inside it."

He said that although work was not expected to start until next year on the restoration of the castle it was possible that some selective stabilisation work could be carried out before a building warrant was granted.