The Noble Houses Of Scotland

This enlightening, lavishly illustrated architectural and historical tour explores the unique flavor of Scotland’s great houses. Written from a perspective that is at once personal and scholarly, this unique book examines Scotland’s distinctive country-house architecture. Illustrated with more than 200 photographs, drawings and plans, the book guides the reader through the singular features of Scottish noble homes: the stately setting, the balanced facade, the formal appointments and fashionable furnishings, explaining how each was achieved. Architectural historian Charles Wemyss investigates the aspirations of the Scottish nobility and explores the underlying reasons for such a multitude of castles: Scotland’s close cultural relationship with France and northern Europe, the military origins of the nobility and the vital role of the Scottish Treasury. The book also profiles the country’s leading architects: William Bruce, James Smith, William Adam and his celebrated sons, John, Robert, and James. Utterly engaging as well as informative, this book brings a fresh dimension to the study of Scotland’s country houses, placing their achievement in the context of the country’s economic, political, and social history.

The author draws on extensive research in the rich archives of the Scottish noble houses to demonstrate that the conventional view of the Scottish nobility is wrong.

C. L. Johnstone offers here a history of Scotland's noble families through the centuries, noting how they shaped the history and politics of the nation. This edition includes all the illustrations of the ruins that were once their seats of power, and the family trees. A detailed and intensive examination of the family ties which bound Scottish communities together and strengthened the country's resolve against England during periods of enmity or war, this book discusses the various noble houses in detail. Their evolution through the centuries - the rise of some to prominence, the fall of others to obscurity - is in many ways the story of Scotland as a nation state with its own identity and culture. The border wars between Scotland and England are the later focus of this book; taking place in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Jacobite rebellion embroiled several of Scotland's longstanding noble houses in conflict.

C. L. Johnstone offers here a history of Scotland's noble families through the centuries, noting how they shaped the history and politics of the nation. This edition includes all the illustrations of the ruins that were once their seats of power, and the family trees. A detailed and intensive examination of the family ties which bound Scottish communities together and strengthened the country's resolve against England during periods of enmity or war, this book discusses the various noble houses in detail. Their evolution through the centuries ? the rise of some to prominence, the fall of others to obscurity ? is in many ways the story of Scotland as a nation state with its own identity and culture. The border wars between Scotland and England are the later focus of this book; taking place in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Jacobite rebellion embroiled several of Scotland's longstanding noble houses in conflict.

Since 1945 more than 200 of the most noted houses in Scotland have been lost, whether to fire, rot, or demolition. Fortunately, photographs were taken of many of these great structures both prior to and during their destruction. Collected here are images of 20 of the most important lost Scottish houses, among them Hamilton Palace, Rosneath, Balbardie, Amisfield, Gordon Castle, Guisachan, Dunglass, and Millearne. These images provide a fitting testimony to architectural masterpieces from a variety of eras and—in cases such as that or Murthly—offer a painstaking and heartbreaking record of their unfortunate demise.

26 houses photographed in colour and accompanied by informative text about their history.