Scotland's Lost Houses

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.

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.

Ian Gow is the curator of collections at the National Monuments Record of Scotland and the author of several books, including Scottish Country Houses 1600–1914 and Scottish Houses and Gardens.