The North-east’s architectural treasures are to be chronicled in two brand new volumes following a major research grant to the University of Aberdeen.
The Leverhulme Trust has awarded the University over £230,000 to complete the acclaimed Buildings of Scotland series, a raft of volumes documenting important sites of architectural interest in Scotland.
Launched in 1979 by Colin McWilliam (1928-1989), the distinguished architectural writer and academic, the series has published ten volumes. Three more are now in preparation with the support of the Buildings of Scotland Trust – but guides to Aberdeenshire and North-east Scotland remain the final piece in the jigsaw.
Now three researchers, led by Dr Jane Geddes, Senior Lecturer in Art History at the University of Aberdeen, will work with the Buildings of Scotland Trust to complete the picture by documenting the architecture of the City of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
"The grant will allow us to explore and fully document the richness of the region's local heritage, which we estimate will require two substantial volumes and take our team three years to research and write," said Dr Geddes.
"The survey will cover major public buildings like Marischal College, venerable ruins like Elgin Cathedral, castles and cottages, modern design and streetscapes for both villages and town."
The Scottish volumes follow on from The Buildings of England series – a county by county inventory and analysis of all the important architecture of the country. The English enterprise was completed almost single-handedly through the prodigious work of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-83), who in turn approached Colin McWilliam to undertake the Scottish leg of the project. The highly successful series has also been extended to Ireland and Wales.
Dr Geddes added: "The North-east of Scotland has a particular wealth of wonderful architecture. The aim of these volumes is to give not just an overview of its great cathedrals and castles but also draw attention to the more diverse architecture of the region. In keeping with the traditions of the series, we will personally inspect all buildings of significance and aim to set them not only in their national but also their international context."