The castle is an iconic building type and one of the most distinctive architectural emblems in the British Isles. This book covers the entire history of Scotland's castles, from the very first stone castles in the 13th century to those of the present day. Ever since its medieval origins, the concept of the castle has undergone constant changes, with the tall tower house being superseded in the 17th century by the classical house, and in the 18th century by a fashionable building type designed by major architects such as Robert Adam. While Scotland's Castle Culture in many ways marched with European fashion, much was distinctively Scottish - as seen in the reluctance to abandon castles as residences, and then in the power of the castle's resurgence as a building type during the years when Scotland was one of the most ferociously modernising countries in the world: the Victorian age. At this time there were few modern building types that were not candidates for castellation: not just houses, but also farms, lighthouses, banks, schools and even railway stations.
Lastly, the book takes us to the present, where most castles, of whatever century, are now protected for their value as national heritage. The drama and diversity of this story is reflected in the book's structure: five chapters covering the main chronological phases of Castle Culture, followed by ten individual case studies of representative examples, from medieval Bothwell to Iain Begg's late 20th-century Raven's Craig.