The daunting task of updating the National Trust of Scotland's records to ensure that every piece of their extensive collections is recorded has begun.

The Project Reveal team, employing 26 people, has started work on the £1.3 million move which is planned to take 20 months.

It will cover all property in the care of Scotland’s largest conservation charity, from the huge Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, to the humble home of geologist Hugh Miller in Cromarty.

The endeavour, one of Scotland’s biggest heritage projects, will see experts photograph and record each of the trust’s 100,000 artefacts.

Over the course of the project, the team will learn about the pieces which are on display at trust properties all over Scotland, but will also, they hope, discover hidden gems which will give an even greater insight into the country’s history and heritage.

Simon Skinner, NTS chief executive, described the project as "huge, both for the trust and for the heritage of Scotland".

He said: "It will mean we know so much more about the many treasures in our care, and this information will help us as we strive to share Scotland’s spectacular scenery, amazing history and unforgettable experiences with more visitors, in more engaging and relevant ways.”

Wendy Turner, project manager for Project Reveal said: "This is an unusual project within the cultural sector because the majority of our collections are on display within historic houses, castles, cottages and workshops, and much of the inventory work will take place in full view of our visitors.

"We are revealing not just our collections, but our working methods as well.

"We fully expect the teams to ‘reveal’ hidden treasures and to uncover new stories about our collections.”

Teams have started work at Brodie Castle near Forres, Pitmedden Garden in Aberdeenshire, Newhailes in East Lothian, the Hill House in Helensburgh and Culzean Castle in Ayrshire.

They will be blogging about their work as they go – keep up to date with the latest news at www.nts.org.uk #ProjectReveal