Miles (Edinburgh College of Art, UK) Glendinning & Aonghus (University of Strathclyde, UK) MacKechnie 
Scotch Baronial 
Architecture and National Identity in Scotland

As the debate about Scottish independence rages on, this book takes a timely look at how Scotland »s politics have been expressed in its buildings, exploring how the architecture of Scotland – in particular the constantly-changing ideal of the  »castle » – has been of great consequence to the ongoing narrative of Scottish national identity.


Scotch Baronial provides a politically-framed examination of Scotland »s kaleidoscopic  »castle architecture », tracing how it was used to serve successive political agendas both prior to and during the three  »unionist centuries » from the early 17th century to the 20th century. The book encompasses many of the country »s most important historic buildings – from the palaces left behind by the  »lost » monarchy, to revivalist castles and the proud town halls of the Victorian age – examining their architectural styles and tracing their wildly fluctuating political and national connotations. It ends by bringing the story into the 21st century, exploring how contemporary  »neo-modernist » architecture in today »s Scotland, as exemplified in the Holyrood parliament, relates to concepts of national identity in architecture over the previous centuries.