This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Gerard Baldwin Brown: Edinburgh and the Preservation Movement (1880-1930). Malcolm Ashton Cooper A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Edinburgh 2015 Abstract In 1880 Gerard Baldwin Brown (1849-1932) was appointed by Edinburgh University as its first Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art. Over the fifty-year period that he held the professorship he was to become well-known as a scholar of Anglo-Saxon art and culture, preparing the first comprehensive study of Anglo-Saxon church architecture in England as part of a six volume study of the arts in early England. In 1905 he produced a monograph, The Care of Ancient Monuments (Cambridge, 1905) which provided a comprehensive assessment of the protective systems in place across Europe and America for the protection of ancient buildings and monuments and made strong recommendations for the strengthening of the protective measures in Britain. These recommendations led amongst other things to the creation of Britain’s first national inventory bodies but Baldwin Brown’s call for the protection of occupied ancient buildings to be improved was not successful. Although The Care of Ancient Monuments appeared to be a departure from Baldwin Brown’s usual interests, this research suggests that it formed part of the author’s longer-term commitment to the protection of long-lived elements of the built environment, and that his views were strongly influenced by his experience of pursuing preservation campaigns in Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. This study draws on a detailed study of Baldwin Brown’s preservation-related campaigns in Edinburgh to trace the coalescence of an urban preservation movement in the city in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It draws on a range of information sources including a hitherto unidentified collection of letters to the press, reports of lectures and published papers to trace the development of his preservation philosophy and the nature and scope of his preservation campaigns. It also explores the mechanisms available to would-be preservationists in the absence of effective legislation, and it assesses Baldwin Brown’s broader significance in the development of the urban preservation movement. i Lay Summary In 1880 Gerard Baldwin Brown (1849-1932) was appointed by Edinburgh University as its first Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art. Over the fifty-year period that he held the professorship he was to become well-known as a scholar of Anglo-Saxon art and culture, preparing the first comprehensive study of Anglo-Saxon church architecture in England as part of a six volume study of the arts in early England. In 1905 he produced a monograph, The Care of Ancient Monuments (Cambridge, 1905). This provided a comprehensive assessment of the protective systems in place across Europe and America for the protection of ancient buildings and monuments and made strong recommendations for the strengthening of the protective measures in Britain. These recommendations led amongst other things to the creation of Britain’s first national inventory bodies but Baldwin Brown’s call for the protection of occupied ancient buildings to be improved was not successful. Although The Care of Ancient Monuments appeared to be a departure from Baldwin Brown’s usual interests, this research suggests that it formed part of the author’s longer-term commitment to the protection of long-lived elements of the built environment, and that his views were strongly influenced by his experience of pursuing preservation campaigns in Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. This study draws on a detailed study of Baldwin Brown’s preservation-related campaigns in Edinburgh to trace how an urban preservation movement developed within the city in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It draws on a range of information sources including Baldwin Brown’s letters to the press, reports of his lectures and his published papers to trace the development of his thoughts on preservation and to follow his preservation campaigns in Edinburgh. It also explores how would-be preservationists went about their campaigns in the absence of legal protection, and it assesses Baldwin Brown’s broader significance in the development of the urban preservation movement. ii Author’s Declaration I confirm that I have composed this thesis over the research period and that it is my own work. This work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. The publications included at Appendix V are my own and were published in the Ruskin Review and Bulletin, Historic Environment: Policy and Practice, and the Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society. Malcolm Ashton Cooper (s1066297) School of History, Classics and Archaeology University of Edinburgh iii Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the help and assistance of: J. Mordaunt Crook, Elizabeth Boardman and Georgina Edwards (Brasenose College Oxford), Marion Williams and Heather Hall (The Cockburn Association), Beth Cumpsey (Edinburgh Architectural Association), Peter Stubbs (Edinburgh Photographic Society), Grant Buttars, Patricia Boyd, Denise Anderson and colleagues (University of Edinburgh Library Special Collections), Kate Holliday (Cumbria Archive Centre), Sally Harrower, Alison Gibson and colleagues (National Libraries of Scotland), Alan Saville and library staff (National Museum of Scotland), Darren Beatson and Ben Cowell (National Trust), Rob Petre (Oriel College, Oxford), Olwyn Owen and Christine Kelly (Historic Scotland), Diana Murray, Lesley Ferguson, Ian Forrest and colleagues (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland), Joanna Soden (Royal Scottish Academy), Neil Baxter and Carol- Ann Hildersley (Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland), Mhairi Kerr, Jack Hugh and Pat Hugh (Scottish Arts Club), Jerry Rudman and colleagues (Uppingham School), Julius Bryant and Christopher Marsden (Victoria and Albert Museum), Wendy Hawke (London Metropolitan Archives), Jennie De Protani (The Athenaeum), Colin Fenn and Bob Flanagan (Friends of West Norwood), staff at Edinburgh City Library, Richard Hunter (City of Edinburgh Council archives), Dr Eleanor Standley (School of Archaeology and Ashmolean Museum, Oxford), Stephen Holland and Rosalyn Faulds (The Franco-Scottish Society), Carol Stewart (Strathclyde University Archives and Special Collections, Andersonian Library); Jason Canham (Royal Institute of British Architects); Chris Lewis and Elizabeth Williamson (Victoria County History); David Heath, Matthew Slocombe, Frank Kelsall and Maggie Goodall (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings); and staff at New College Library, Edinburgh. I am grateful to RCAHMS for permission for use of their images (figures 19, 20, 23, 34 and 35) and to David Henrie (figure 24 and 33). I would like to thank Katsura Miyahara for giving me access to her Cambridge PhD thesis on art history education in Britain. More generally, I wish to acknowledge the help and support of Oliver Barratt, John Campbell, Elizabeth Cumming, Richard Gem, Richard Fawcett, Eric Fernie, Melanie Hall, Richard Halsey, David Heath, Iona Heath, Elizabeth Kenwood, Bob Morris, Richard J. Morris, Anna Ritchie, Warwick Rodwell, Lou Rosenburg, Alan Saville, Wilson Smith and Tom Tolley. I would like to also to record my particular thanks to my supervisors Professor Ian Ralston and Professor Richard Rodger, to Professor Peter Mandler, Professor Stana Nenadic and Diana Murray, and to my friend and colleague Dr Deborah Mays. Above all, I would like to thank Dr Claire F. Kenwood for her invaluable support and encouragement throughout this research. iv Gerard Baldwin Brown: Edinburgh and the Preservation Movement (1880-1930). Malcolm Ashton Cooper Table of Contents Abstract i Lay Summary ii Author’s Declaration iii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v-vii List of Figures viii List of Abbreviations ix Part I 1. Urban Preservation and Change 2 Aims and approach Agency and structure Sources Discourse and discipline development Civil society and cultural production Situating Gerard Baldwin Brown 2. Edinburgh and Early Preservation Discourse 26 Development and early preservation campaigns Old Town improvements in second half of the eighteenth century Early nineteenth century improvements The railway expansions Sanitary improvements 3. An Emerging Urban Preservation Field 65 Antiquarians The fine art community The architectural community Other disciplines Edinburgh’s first amenity body 4. Gerard Baldwin Brown 94 Early years The Watson Gordon Professorship Philosophy of art v Part II 5. Building a Personal Capital 126 Early preservation and development cases The Great Hall at