Vitruvius Scoticus

Plans, Elevations, and Sections of Public Buildings, Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Houses in Scotland

William Adam, James Simpson

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780486321110
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: History of Architecture

This classic portfolio uses elevations, floor plans, and other line drawings by Scotland's first great classical architect to document the high Scottish style of the eighteenth century. It was assembled by William Adam (1689–1748), whose sons were the developers of the `Adam style,` and published posthumously in 1812. The elder Adam designed, extended, and remodeled numerous country homes and undertook many public contracts. Vitruvius Scoticus's 160 plates include 100 of his own designs.
Unlike the Vitruvius Britannicus books, this volume features plans for many smaller buildings that served as models for American builders and architects of the nineteenth century. Its engravings include images of such stately homes as Mavisbank House, Haddo House, and Fasque House; Hamilton Palace, one of the nation's grandest homes, and Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland; and a series of bridges at Inveraray in the county of Argyll. Never before available in an affordable edition, this volume is an essential reference for architectural historians and students. It includes an Introduction and Notes to the Plates by James Simpson.

THE NOTES TO THE PLATES

It is the intention in these notes to supply in concise form the essential facts, insofar as they are known, about each design. These are presented in a systematic way, which may require some explanation. Against the title of each plate or series of plates are set down the designer/draughtsman/engraver combination and the plate numbers, as recorded on the plates, thus the Airth House plates (64–5), on which are ‘Gul Adam Invenit et Delin’. and ‘R. Cooper sculpt’, are noted ‘Airth House-WA; WA; RC-64–5’. On the second line the location of the building is marked by old county, parish and grid reference. Occasionally additional pieces of information are inserted after the location, as in the case of Somerville House, for example: ‘usually known as The Drum’. The main body of information is set down in three sections, about the patron, the design and its author, and the building. Finally, significant sources are listed.

General works of reference and the following books which have been used consistently are not separately listed:

Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage (Edinburgh 1904).

Colen Campbell, Vitruvius Britannicus, or the British Architect (3 vols. 1715, 1717 and 1725, continued by J. Woolfe and J. Gandon, vol.(iv), 1767, vol.(v), 1771).

Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840 (London, 1978).

The Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, from 1917).

John Fleming, Robert Adam and his Circle in Edinburgh and Rome (London, 1962).

Francis Groome, The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882).

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (15 vols., 1845).

Margaret Stuart and Sir James Balfour Paul, Scottish Family History (Edinburgh, 1930).

Works quoted more than once in the notes are referred back to the following list:

J. G. Dunbar, Sir William Bruce, Exhibition Catalogue, Scottish Arts Council, 1970.

James Grant, Old and New Edinburgh (2 vols., Edinburgh, 1882).

Thomas Hannan, Famous Scottish Houses (London, 1928).

Thomas Hunter, Woods, Forests and Estates of Perthshire (Perth, 1883).

Ian G. Lindsay and Mary Cosh, Inveraray and the Dukes of Argyll (Edinburgh, 1973).

D. McGibbon and T. Ross, The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland (5 vols., Edinburgh, 1887–92).

P. H. M’Kerlie, History of the Lands and their Owners in Galloway (Paisley, 1906).

Colin McWilliam, Lothian, Buildings of Scotland, ed. Pevsner (Penguin, 1978).

John Macky, A fourney through Scotland Being the Third Volume which compleats Great Britain (London, 1723).

A. H. Millar, Castles and Mansions of Ayrshire (Edinburgh, 1885).

R. S. Mylne, Master Masons to the Crown of Scotland (1893).

James Paterson, History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigtown (Edinburgh, 1863).

John Small, Castles and Mansions of the Lothians (2 vols., Edinburgh, 1883).

A. and H. Taylor, The Book of the Duffs (1913).

Reference to ‘Braco Case Depositions’ is to the printed Depositions of witnesses in connection with the lawsuit of 1743 between William Adam and Lord Braco over his remuneration for designing and building Duff House. Copies of these papers are in the possession of Mr Howard Colvin.

The following abbreviations have been used:

BM	The British Museum
HMSO	Her Majesty’s Stationery Office
OS	The Ordnance Survey
NLS	The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
NMR (England)	The National Momuments Record, London NMRS The National Monuments Record of Scotland
RCAHMS	Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical monuments of Scotland
RIBA	The Royal Institute of British Architects
SRO	The Scottish Record Office, Register House, Edinburgh

AIRTH HOUSE	WA;WA;RC	64,65
Stirlingshire	Airth Parish	NS 900 868
James Graham	(1676–1746); Advocate; m.(2) Mary Livingstone and purchased Airth in 1717; Judge Admiral of Scotland from 1739.
William Adam	n.d.; possibly c.1720 and associated with garden plan of 1721. Regularisation of existing house, partly of 1581; not executed; subsequent re-modelling by David Hamilton, 1807–9; now a hotel.
Sources	NMRS: two garden plans, one by William Boutchart, 1721, plans for additions by David Hamilton, 1806 McGibbon & Ross, op. cit., vol.2, pp.403–4. RCAHMS, Inventory of Stirlingshire, 1963, vol.1, pp.230–7.

ARNISTON HOUSE	WA; WA; RC	39–44
Midlothian	Borthwick and Temple Parish	NT
Robert Dundas	(1685–1753); Advocate; Solicitor General 1717–20; Lord Advocate 1720–25 in 1726; Lord of Session 1737–47; Lord President 1747–53.
William Adam	1726. New house incorporating parts of existing courtyard mansion; largely built 1726–32; completed with modifications, John Adam, 1753–5; garden front pediment, etc., c.1800; new library 1868; communications raised, north and south porches, servants’ wing, etc., Wardrop & Reid, c. 1876–8: private house.
Sources	Arniston House MSS: Plan of Arniston, 1690.
	Plan of layout proposed, 1726. Half elevation of North Front – William Adam? – n.d. West elevation – John Adam, 1753. Plans for North Porch, etc – Wardrop & Reid, 1876. Arniston Journals and Letters, 4 vols.,
	George Omond, Arniston Memoirs, Edinburgh, 1887. John Small, op. cit. Country Life, 15–22 August 1925. Sheila Forman, ‘The Dundases of Arniston’, Scottish Field, June 1953. A.A. Tait, ‘Arniston and the Country Seat’, Burlington Magazine, March 1969.

BALGREGGAN HOUSE	WA; WA; RC	127,128
Wigtownshire	Stoneykirk Parish	NX 087 503
John McDowall of Freugh;	m. Lady Elizabeth Crichton Dalrymple, niece of Field Marshall Stair, in 1725; succeeded to Freugh in 1733.
William Adam	n.d.; probably after 1725 and before 1730. Re-modelling of existing house, partly of 1672; probably completed 1730; slated third storey added early 20th century; demolished 1966.
Sources	Wigtown Museum, carved stones, 1672 and 1730. NMRS, photograph by George Washington Wilson. James Paterson, op. cit. NMR (England), Estates Exchange, London, No.1534, Sales Brochure, 1902. P. H. M’Kerlie, op. cit., vol.1, p.63.

BALLOCHMYLE HOUSE	WA;WA;RC	63
Ayrshire	M...