A guide to Scottish architecture

by Dr Seán O'Reilly of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland

Perhaps the most surprising thing for visitors to Scotland - and indeed for those who have lived here all their lives - is the sheer abundance of great Scottish architecture, whether as magnificent buildings to see or great places to visit.

Few outlying parts of Scotland have a stronger sense of place than Applecross, Wester Ross, today approachable by a stunning drive across terrain evocative of Tolkein. The fine 19th century village, the B-Listed early 18th century house and outbuildings, and the walled garden, currently under restoration, combine to form a uniquely atmospheric Scottish ensemble.

Manderston, in the Borders, is a majestic country house, designed by an unfamiliar but very talented Scottish architect, John Kinross, in the years around 1900. Benefiting from almost no restrictions on cost during building, Manderston has splendid public interiors, including a lavish staircase with silver-plated balustrade and brass handrail. It was also successfully featured in the recent popular docu-soap 'The Edwardian Country House' not least because of its remarkably intact domestic quarters. The magnificent stables sit on a part of the 56 acres of impressive formal gardens, which include a lake and a stunning marble dairy.

The architecture in Scottish towns is no less varied and vivid. Dumfries and Galloway has an abundance of well-preserved towns worth visiting, many of which have retained a remarkable and varied, if often modest, character. The famous and historic Burgh of Wigtown, now noted for its international book festival, sits around a wide open square, with a gigantic county buildings and town hall at one end, currently under restoration. More typical, and wonderfully well-preserved, is the nearby Whithorn, which retains some of the earliest Christian archaeology in these islands. Here the long, linear High Street survives almost entirely intact, thanks not least to the success of the AHSS in saving the simple but very attractive C(S) listed former Grapes Hotel.

More obviously dramatic is Stromness in Orkney, at the other end of the country. 17th century in origin, it retains streets and layouts that have been accommodated to a harsher climate. Such open spaces wind tightly together and, with many of the original street surfaces still intact, both the buildings and their settings capture a life-style a world away from Dumfries.

Stirling, as a major centre easily accessible from almost anywhere in central Scotland, is infinitely more grandiose, but largely retains a similar sense of history. The castle complex, developed mainly from the 14th century, includes the Great Hall, recently the subject of a major restoration by Historic Scotland. The flurry of historic buildings below the castle walls shows the ambitions of this major Scottish centre. These include the 16th century Argyle Lodging, among the finest of Scottish renaissance houses, the medieval Church of the Holy Rude, Cowane's Hospital of 1639, by John Mylne, a remarkably early charitable venture, and the recently re-modelled 18th century Tolbooth and town house.

The castle dominates the surrounding landscape as it sits atop the hill, and the only man-made structure to challenge its position is the nearby Wallace Monument, designed by the Glasgow architect JT Rochead in 1862. Here, as above, the strength of the architecture lies in its ability to accommodate the character of the landscape, rising from it rather than sitting on it.

Dr Seán O'Reilly
Director
Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland

This article was originally "printed" in the October 2003 issue of Uniquely Unspoilt, a free monthly e-magazine for those with an interest in rural Scotland.

Cottages relevant to this article

The following holiday cottages are situated within easy reach of the locations mentioned above:

Applecross, Wester Ross Applecross Cottage (slps 2) right on the shore in the village of Applecross
Manderston, Scottish Borders Johnsfield, Duns (slps 6) situated in the same estate as Manderston - 2 miles)
Wigtown, D & G Maberry Cottage, Drumlamford (slps 4) approx. 19 miles from Wigtown
Stromness, Orkney Cork Cottage, Orkney (slps 4) (approx. 10 miles from Stromness)