DOCSLIB.ORG

Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas December 2012 Cover image courtesy of Edinburgh World Heritage Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas Who is this guidance for? This document is divided into two parts: This guidance provides information on repairing, Part 1. Listed Building Guidance Part 2. Conservation Area Guidance altering or extending listed buildings and unlisted buildings in conservation areas. Policy Context Policy Env 3 This document is part of a suite of Edinburgh Sets out when development within the curtilage Planning Guidance. or affecting the setting of a listed building will be permitted. Guidance for Businesses Listed Buildings & Policy Env 4 December 2012 Conservation Areas December 2012 Sets out when proposals to alter or extend a listed building will be permitted. Policy Env 6 Sets out when development within a conservation Guidance for Edinburgh Design area or affecting its setting will be permitted. Householders Guidance December 2012 2013 Further Information If you require any further information or clarification after reading this document, please visit our website at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/ This guidance interprets polices in the Edinburgh planning or contact the Planning Helpdesk on 0131 Developer Contributions Street Design City Local Plan which seek to protect the character 529 3550. & Affordable Housing Guidance and setting of listed buildings, and the character and May 2011 2013 appearance of conservation areas. Historic Scotland Historic Scotland is the executive agency of the Scottish For listed buildings or conservation areas in the rural Government. Historic Scotland has responsibility for the west, the Rural West Edinburgh Local Plan sets out the listing of buildings and are consulted on applications for Misc: Student Housing, Radio Telecommunications, Open Space Strategy etc. equivalent provision. listed building consent. Contents Page Page Part 1: Listed Buildings 5 Part 2: Conservation Areas 24 Do I need Listed Building Consent? 5 Do I Need Planning Permission? 24 What Other Consents Might Be Required? 6 What Other Consents Might Be Required? 24 General Principles 6 General Principles 25 Repair 7 Repair 25 External Alterations 10 Demolition 25 Internal Alterations 20 Extensions and Alterations 25 New development in the grounds of listed buildings 22 Shopfront Alterations and Signage 26 Windows and Doors 26 Stone Cleaning 26 Painting 27 Paint Removal 28 Telecommunications including Satellite Dishes 28 Gas Pipes and Meter Boxes 29 Flues 29 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration 29 Adaptation for Accessibility 29 Part 1: Listed Buildings Listed buildings represent the very best examples To check whether your property is listed, the Council’s Proposed change will be managed to protect a of the built heritage. They are defined as buildings online map can be used. Alternatively, please contact building’s special interest while enabling it to remain of special architectural or historic interest and are the Planning Helpdesk on 0131 529 3550 or email: in active use. Each proposal will be judged on its own protected under the Planning (Listed Buildings and [email protected]. merits. Listing should not prevent adaptation to Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. The lists modern requirements but ensure that work is of Buildings of Historic or Architectural Interest are implemented in a sensitive and informed manner. The compiled by Historic Scotland on behalf of Scottish Do I need Listed Building aim is to guard against unsympathetic alterations and Ministers. The term building includes structures such Consent? prevent unnecessary loss or damage to historic fabric. as walls and bridges. Any alterations which would seriously detract from or alter the character of a listed building are unlikely to There are three categories of listed buildings: Listed buildings are afforded statutory protection. This means that listed building consent is required receive consent Category A - Buildings of national or international for the demolition of a listed building, or its alteration importance, either architectural or historic, or or extension in any manner which would affect its fine little-altered examples of some particular character as a building of special architectural or period, style or building type. historic interest. Category B - Buildings of regional or more than Listing covers the interior as well as the exterior, and local importance, or major examples of some includes any object or structure fixed to the building, particular period, style or building type which or which has been included within its curtilage since may have been altered. 1st July, 1948. Listing, therefore, extends to historic Category C - Buildings of local importance, lesser fixtures or fittings (plasterwork, chimneypieces, examples of any period, style, or building type, panelling) and items within the curtilage such as as originally constructed or moderately altered; stables, mews, garden walls and stone setts. Any and simple traditional buildings which group proposals to alter unsympathetically, relocate or well with others in categories A and B. remove such features are likely to detract from the quality of the setting and are unlikely to be approved. Listed building consent is not required for internal Buildings which relate together in townscape terms redecoration, renewal of bathroom and kitchen or as planned layouts in urban, rural or landed estate Listed building consent must be obtained where fittings, rewiring or new plumbing, provided fittings contexts, often have their group value stressed by proposals will alter the character of the listed or internal decorations (such as decorative plaster, inclusion within ‘A’ or ‘B’ groups. building, regardless of its category or whether the murals and paintings) which contribute to the work is internal or external. character of the building or structure are not affected. December 2012 Page 5 Listed Buildings - Consents and General Principles In considering any application for listed building What if the work has already been carried clarification on 0131 529 3550 or email:planning@ consent, and also any application for planning out? edinburgh.gov.uk. permission for development which affects a listed If you believe your building work is ‘permitted building or its setting, the Council are required to It is a criminal offence to demolish, alter materially development’, you can apply for a Certificate of have special regard to the desirability of preserving or extend a listed building without listed building Lawfulness. This is a legal document from the Council the building or its setting, or any features of special consent. Alterations may be subject to enforcement which confirms that the development is lawful. architectural or historic interest which it may possess. action or prosecution at any time. Retrospective In this context, preserving, in relation to a building, applications for listed building consent will be In addition, listed building consent may be required means retaining it either in its existing state or subject considered on their merits. regardless of whether planning permission has been only to such alterations or extensions as can be City of Edinburgh Council guideline Selling Your granted. carried out without detriment to its character. House sets out the criteria which will be used to Advertisement Consent The tests for demolition are detailed in the Scottish determine whether to take enforcement action against Historic Environment Policy. No listed building unauthorised works to a listed building. This will Many advertisements will require advertisement should be demolished unless it has been clearly help if you are selling a listed property and provides consent, in addition to listed building consent demonstrated that every effort has been made general advice on listed building consent. and planning permission. You can check this by to retain it. The Council will only approve such consulting The Town and Country Planning (Control applications where they are satisfied that: of Advertisements) (Scotland) Regulations 1984 or by What Other Consents Might seeking advice from the Planning Helpdesk. • the building is not of special interest; or Be Required? Building Warrant • the building is incapable of repair; or Planning Permission Converted, new or altered buildings may require • the demolition of the building is essential to a building warrant, even if planning permission or delivering significant benefits to economic growth Development is defined as the carrying out of listed building consent is not required. Please contact or the wider community; or building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land, or the making of any material Building Standards for more information on 0131 529 • the repair of the building is not economically viable change in the use of any buildings or other land. 7826 or email: [email protected]. and that it has been marketed at a price reflecting uk. its location and condition to potential restoring Planning permission is required for many alterations, purchasers for a reasonable period. additions and changes of use, although some development can be carried out without planning General Principles Repairs which match the original materials and permission. This is ‘permitted development’. The aim of this guideline is to prevent unnecessary methods and do not affect the character of the loss or damage to historic structures and ensure that building do not usually require listed building
Recommended publications
  • To Download Your PDF Copy

    To Download Your PDF Copy

    TROON OLD PARISH TALK THE MAGAZINE OF TROON OLD PARISH CHURCH Minister: Rev David Prentice-Hyers B.A., M.Div. TEL: 01292 313644 01292 313520 (Office) www.TROONOLD.ORG.UK No. 106 Spring 2019 Foxes Have Holes and Guides have boxes but... The sun was long set and any notion of a dry and clear night was long dispelled when the Guides began to arrive at the Scout Hall. Some prepped a fire in the pit. Others handed out emergency bags which are no more than extra thick oversized bin bags. Still others packed and repacked their sleeping bags. By the time I arrived pea-sized drops were bouncing off the tarmac. It would be a long night before the clouds emptied their tears. The air froze and the winter sun made its cold appearance. These future leaders, doctors, politicians and mothers gave up Netflix and Facebook for one soggy, cold night called the Wee Sleep. They raised no small sum to help eradicate homelessness in Scotland. For these young adventurers what a radical act of empathy: such a wonderful experience in active compassion to sleep a night in another's pain. What is it that Burns says? "O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!" The Troon Guides Wee Sleep was an affirmative act of selflessness and self-awareness. What a gift to step outside one's awareness, not to see one's folly or vanity, but to feel deeply the brokenness into which too many are forced. What a valuable lesson these young leaders are giving us.
  • Edinburgh Castle (Portcullis Gate, Argyle Tower & Lang Stairs) Statement of Significance

    Edinburgh Castle (Portcullis Gate, Argyle Tower & Lang Stairs) Statement of Significance

    Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC222 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90130) Listed Building (Lang Stairs: LB48221 – Category B) (Portcullis Gate and Argyle Tower: LB48227 – Category A) Taken into State care: 1906 (Ownership) Last Reviewed: 2019 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE EDINBURGH CASTLE – PORTCULLIS GATE, ARGYLE TOWER AND LANG STAIRS We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH © Historic Environment Scotland 2019 You may re-use this information (excluding logos and images) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent to us at: Historic Environment Scotland Longmore House Salisbury Place Edinburgh EH9 1SH +44 (0) 131 668 8600 www.historicenvironment.scot Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office:
  • Dalrymple Crescent a Snapshot of Victorian Edinburgh

    Dalrymple Crescent a Snapshot of Victorian Edinburgh

    DALRYMPLE CRESCENT A SNAPSHOT OF VICTORIAN EDINBURGH Joanne Lamb ABOUT THE BOOK A cross-section of life in Edinburgh in the 19th century: This book focuses on a street - Dalrymple Crescent - during that fascinating time. Built in the middle of the 19th century, in this one street came to live eminent men in the field of medicine, science and academia, prosperous merchants and lawyers, The Church, which played such a dominant role in lives of the Victorians, was also well represented. Here were large families and single bachelors, marriages, births and deaths, and tragedies - including murder and bankruptcy. Some residents were drawn to the capital by its booming prosperity from all parts of Scotland, while others reflected the Scottish Diaspora. This book tells the story of the building of the Crescent, and of the people who lived there; and puts it in the context of Edinburgh in the latter half of the 19th century COPYRIGHT First published in 2011 by T & J LAMB, 9 Dalrymple Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 2NU www.dcedin.co.uk This digital edition published in 2020 Text copyright © Joanne Lamb 2011 Foreword copyright © Lord Cullen 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the express written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-9566713-0-1 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Designed and typeset by Mark Blackadder The publisher acknowledges a grant from THE GRANGE ASSOCIATION towards the publication of this book THIS DIGITAL EDITION Ten years ago I was completing the printed version of this book.
  • The Cockburn Association Edinburgh and East Lothian

    The Cockburn Association Edinburgh and East Lothian

    THE COCKBURN ASSOCIATION EDINBURGH AND EAST LOTHIAN DOORSDAYS OPEN SAT 29 & SUN 30 SEPTEMBER 2018 Cover image: Barnton Quarry ROTOR Bunker. EDINBURGH DOORS OPEN DAY 2018 SAT 29 & SUN 30 SEPTEMBER SUPPORT THE COCKBURN ASSOCIATION AND EDINBURGH DOORS OPEN DAY Your support enables us to organise city WHO ARE WE? wide free events such as Doors Open Day, The Cockburn Association (The Edinburgh bringing together Edinburgh’s communities Civic Trust) is an independent charity which in a celebration of our unique heritage. relies on the support of its members to protect All members of the Association receive and enhance the amenity of Edinburgh. We an advance copy of the Doors Open Day have been working since 1875 to improve programme and invitations throughout the built and natural environment of the city the year to lectures, talks and events. – for residents, visitors and workers alike. If you enjoy Doors Open Days please We campaign to prevent inappropriate consider making a donation to support our development in the City and to preserve project www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/ the Green Belt, to promote sustainable donate development, restoration and high quality modern architecture. We are always happy If you are interested in joining the Association, visit us online at www.cockburnassociation. to advise our members on issues relating org.uk or feel free to call or drop in to our to planning. offices at Trunk’s Close. THE COCKBURN ASSOCIATION The Cockburn Association (The Edinburgh Civic Trust) For Everyone Who Loves Edinburgh is a registered Scottish charity, No: SC011544 TALKS & TOURS 2018 P3 ADMISSION BALERNO P10 TO BUILDINGS BLACKFORD P10 Admission to all buildings is FREE.
  • Download Download

    Download Download

    Proc Soc Antiq Scot 147 (2017), 219–241 SCOTTISH LETTERING OF THE 16TH CENTURY | 219 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.147.1247 Scottish Lettering of the 16th century Aidan Harrison1 and Charles J Burnett2 ABSTRACT Surviving visual culture from the early modern period that can be described as particularly Scottish in style is scarce. As a result, any evidence of such artistry is of national significance. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to a form of lettering which was used for the display of short inscriptions and initials in Scotland throughout the 16th century. Surviving examples are almost exclusively carved in relief in durable wood and stone. This distinctive letterform is drawn from the transitional styles which briefly appeared at the end of the 15th century as French artists and scribes transferred their allegiance from their traditional ornate Gothic capitals to the bold, simple Roman forms of the Renaissance. While a number of experimental letterforms fleetingly appeared elsewhere across northern Europe, Scottish scholars absorbed these new influences in France and developed them into a distinctive form which persisted in Scotland for over a century. After its first known appearance at the marriage of King James IV to Margaret Tudor in Edinburgh in 1503, the evidence suggests that the use of Scottish Lettering became confined to Aberdeen and the north-east, primarily in pre-Reformation ecclesiastical applications. Following the Reformation, it became largely restricted to secular and funerary inscriptions. INTRODUCTION original grave-slab of 1577 at Dundee and a 20th- century reproduction at King’s College Chapel, The objective of this study is to draw the Old Aberdeen.
  • Cooper2016 Vol1.Pdf (11.89Mb)

    Cooper2016 Vol1.Pdf (11.89Mb)

    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.
  • Design Statement 2013

    Design Statement 2013

    $QGHUVRQ%HOO&KULVWLH$UFKLWHFWV *'HVLJQ6WDWHPHQW *'HVLJQ6WDWHPHQW Barrhill Memorial Hall DESIGN STATEMENT 2013 anderson bell christie REFURBISHING BARRHILL MEMORIAL HALL + A Springboard to Make it Happen architects This project is part-financed by the Scottish Government, European Community and Ayrshire LEADER 2007-2013 Programme Also part-financed by Barrhill Memorial Hall Community Association 01 Introduction 02 Historical Context Barrhill Village 1865 1924 2013 Architectural Identity of Barrhill Historic Barrhill This tranquil village, close to the Ayrshire coast and the Galloway Forest Park, offers a perfect rural retreat for visitors. It is an ideal base for country walks and exploring the diversity of wildlife that can be found here. Unfortunately Barrhill is somewhat hidden and therefore not well known. The village is a traditional rural Scottish linear settlement. In terms of building form and scale, it maintains the sense of character that is found throughout the Ayrshire countryside. South Ayrshire Many of the original buildings along the main street still remain today. These are typically 1 & 1/2 storey, with some 2 storey terraced buildings, constructed in traditional local materials such as slate, stone and render as can be seen in the historic photos to the Barrhill is a rural Scottish village in South Ayrshire located on the A714 ULJKW6DGO\WKHSRSXODWLRQRI%DUUKLOOKDVVLJQLÀFDQWO\GHFOLQHGRYHUWKH\HDUV between Girvan and Newton Stewart, nestled in the Southern Uplands and surrounded by farmland and woodlands. There are several
  • Discovery & Excavation in Scotland

    Discovery & Excavation in Scotland

    1991 DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND An Annual Survey of Scottish Archaeological Discoveries. Excavation and Fieldwork EDITED BY COLLEEN E BATEY WITH JENNIFER BALL PUBLISHED BY THE COUNCIL FOR SCOTTISH ARCHAEOLOGY ISBN 0 901352 11 X ISSN 0419 -411X NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS 1 Contributions should be brief statements of work undertaken. 2 Each contribution should be on a separate page, typed or clearly hand-written and double spaced. Surveys should be submitted in summary form. 3 Two copies of each contribution are required, one for editing and one for NMRS. 4 The Editor reserves the right to shorten published contributions. The unabridged copy will be lodged with NMRS. 5 No proofs will be sent to Contributors because of the tight timetable and the cost. 6 Illustrations should be forwarded only by agreement with the Editor (and HS, where applicable). Line drawings should be supplied camera ready to suit page layout as in this volume. 7 Enquiries relating to published items should normally be directed to the Contributor, not the Editor. 8 The final date for receipt of contributions each year is 31 October, for publication on the last Saturday of February following. Contributions from current or earlier years may be forwarded at any time. 9 Contributions should be sent to Hon Editor, Discouery & Excavation in Scotland, CSA, c/o Royal Museum of Scotland, Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JD. Please use the following format:- REGION DISTRICT Site Name ( parish) Contributor Type of Site/Find NCR (2 letters, 6 figures) Report Sponsor: HS, Society, Institution, etc, as appropriate. Name of Contributor: (where more than one, please indicate which name should appear in the list of contributors) Address of main contributor.
  • Stirling County Building Warrants

    Stirling County Building Warrants

    Falkirk Archives (Archon Code: GB558) FALKIRK ARCHIVES Local authority records Stirling County Council Building Warrants Finding Aid Administrative History The origins of building standards were in the Dean of Guild Courts of the medieval Royal Burghs. Their powers to hear offences against neighbourliness gradually evolved into modern planning and building control regulations. From 1862 Town Councils were permitted to set up Dean of Guild Courts and from 1892 all town councils were required to set up Dean of Guild Courts. The Dean of Guild Courts had powers to impose conditions relating to public health under the 1862 Police Act. County Councils had similar powers from 1889. Scope and Contents Building warrant files, building warrant application registers and annotated Ordnance Survey maps, for the geographical area formerly administered by Stirling County Council and now administered by Falkirk Council. Building warrant files contain the plans, petitions (ie applications), completions certificates, correspondence and related papers submitted to the local authority for permission to build or to make structural alterations to domestic and public buildings under successive building control and building standards legislation. The Registers provide a summary list of applications and their outcome. Arrangement Stirling County Council building warrants from c 1900-1964 were separated into geographical areas and this order has been maintained. The red area covers the south and east of the former County of Stirling, including Shieldhill, Polmont and the Braes. The yellow area covers the areas around Bonnybridge, Denny and Dunipace. The blue area covers Airth, Larbert and Stenhousemuir. However it should be noted that some building warrant files were put into the “wrong” colour-coded area and there has been no attempt to correct this.
  • Romantic Edinburgh

    Romantic Edinburgh

    ' r VERITY k; :^^' ARBOR I Presented to the LIBRARY of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO by JOSEPH BUIST uddrt^^ ROMANTIC ^ ^ EDINBURGH Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2010 witin funding from University of Toronto http://www.archive.org/details/romanticedinburgOOgedd I I ROMANTIC EDINBURGH BY JOHN GEDDIE LONDON 5ANDS & COMPANY 12 BURLEIGH STREET, STRAND, W-.Q. 1900 PRINTED BT WILLIAM HODGE AND COMPANY GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH 0CT111994 ^^^ musm OF 10^ — INTRODUCTORY The end of the old century—or the beginning of the new seems a suitable time for the preparation of a Vade Mecum which the explorer of Edinburgh can conveniently take with him on his walks, or profitably peruse by the fireside. Such a book should be as mxich historical as descriptive. For Edinburgh is not less richly endowed with memories than with beauty ; and its present can be read only in the light of its past. At no time have the builder and improver—those scene-shifters in the drama of modern town life—been busier in sweeping romance, along with stone and lime, into the dust-bin ; and every year familiar features of the streets and closes are drafted from the list of the city's sights into that of the city's memories. The opening of the new North Bridge offers a natural starting-point for the survey and retrospect ; it promises—or threatens—to bring in its train changes almost as great as those that make the construction of the first bridge across the valley between Old and New Edinburg an era in the history of " mine own romantic town." For the illustrations of the volume thanks are due to Mr.

  • Welcome to Doors Open Days 2018 Welcome to Doors Open Days, Scotland’S Largest Free Festival That Celebrates Heritage and the Built Environment, New and Old

    Welcome to Doors Open Days 2018 Welcome to Doors Open Days, Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment, new and old. Every September you can explore hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland for free. Doors Open Days in Perth and Kinross is organised by geographical area over the first three weekends in September: ELCOME Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th: Highland and Eastern Perthshire W Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd: Strathearn and Kinross-shire Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th: Perth City Doors Open Days is a national event run by the Scottish Civic Trust and supported by Historic Environment Scotland. Information about the national programme, including event listings, can be found at www.doorsopendays.org.uk. Thanks are due to the custodians and owners of the buildings and to everyone who contributes to Doors Open Days for their enthusiastic and voluntary participation. Perth and Kinross Archaeology Month is also taking place in September this year as part of the annual Scottish Archaeology Month. The programme offers residents and visitors a variety of ways to actively engage with the historic environment. Dunkeld is the focal point this year with lots of exciting activities on offer as part of the King’s Seat Hillfort Archaeology Project. Events delivered across the region by other local and national heritage organisations are available at www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk. Perth and Kinross Doors Open Days and Symbol Key Archaeology Month are organised by Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and funded by the Wheelchair Access Gannochy Trust. (including access to disabled toilet facilities) In this brochure you’ll find information about each of the venues or events taking place this year.
  • 9 Edinburgh Castle in the Modern Era: Presenting Meanings

    9 Edinburgh Castle in the Modern Era: Presenting Meanings

    EDINBURGH CASTLE RESEARCH EDINBURGH CASTLE IN THE MODERN ERA: PRESENTING MEANINGS EDINBURGH CASTLE IN THE MODERN ERA: PRESENTING MEANINGS R. J. Morris Why is Edinburgh Castle still there? It is fairly useless as a defence asset and has long been sub-standard as a barracks. After all, Berwick Castle was flattened for a railway station and Trinity College Church – one of the finest medieval churches in Scotland – was rearranged to extend Waverley Station, but the castle is still there and looks more like a castle than it has ever done. We owe this to a complicated process that turned a fortress and a barracks into a national monument. It was a slow process that began in the early 19th century. How did the castle get like it is now? If you stand at the entrance to the Esplanade, probably some two-thirds of what you see was produced after 1850. The foundations are as old as any foundations in Edinburgh, but unless you get into the basement of the old towers that is not what you are looking at. How did our castle get like it is, who decided our castle should be as it is now, who paid for it, why was it not demolished or perhaps remade into government offices or even an international hotel? Answering this involves a number of Scots, some familiar names and some forgotten, but all of whom enable and invite us not just to have an enjoyable and exciting day out but to imagine Scotland in changing ways. This slow process gathered momentum over time.