The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) is a society dedicated to the protection and study of the built heritage of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It has around 1100 members and six regional groups responsible for commenting on planning applications in their area together with educational activities. The Society publishes the academic journal Architectural Heritage

Architectural Heritage

Architectural Heritage is an academic journal published by Edinburgh University Press on behalf of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland in November each year. It was founded in 1991. The journal focuses on architectural history and conservation articles covering all periods of building up...

together with a twice-yearly magazine addressing a wider range of built heritage related matters.

History

In 1956 a campaign group, the Georgian Group of Edinburgh, was established to oppose the demolition of 18th-century houses around George Square in Edinburgh. The architectural historian Colin McWilliam

Colin McWilliam

Colin McWilliam was a Scottish architecture academic and author.-Career:Born in London, he graduated from the University of Cambridge and became Director of the Scottish National Buildings Record, then the Assistant Secretary of the National Trust for Scotland. He also directed architectural...

 was instrumental in its founding. In 1957 George Baillie-Hamilton, 12th Earl of Haddington

George Baillie-Hamilton, 12th Earl of Haddington

George Baillie-Hamilton, 12th Earl of Haddington, Kt, MC, TD , was a Scottish Peer from 1917 to 1986. Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, he was awarded the Military Cross during the First World War. In World War II he was a Wing Commander in the RAFVR. He was Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1952...

, became the first president of the group, which was renamed as the Scottish Georgian Society in 1959. From the 1960s the society began to broaden its interest beyond the Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 period, and in 1984 the present name was adopted to suit. The Society's logo, a drawing of the Old Town House in Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

, was adopted in the 1960s. In 2009 the society was reconstituted as a company with the status of a registered charity.

Activities

Since its establishment, the Society has been involved in commenting and advising on development proposals which affect the historic buildings and townscapes of Scotland. The Society also runs regular lecture series on Scottish architecture, architects, and buildings.

Structure

The Society is organised into six regional groups, each of whom undertake casework and organise educational activities. Management is by a national council comprising representatives of the six regional groups and elected members. As of August 2011 the officer bearers were:

• President: The Dowager Countess of Wemyss and March
• Vice President: John Gerrard MBE MA FRIAS
• Chairman: Peter Drummond BSc(Hons) BArch RIAS RIBA
• Vice Chairman: Euan Leitch
• Honorary Treasurer: Hamish MacBeth RICS
• Honorary Solicitor: Alastair Keatinge, WS

The Society's national office is based at the Glasite Meeting House in Barony Street, Edinburgh, built in 1936 as a chapel for the Glasite

Glasite

The Glasites or Glassites were a Christian sect founded in about 1730 in Scotland by John Glas. Glas' faith, as part of the First Great Awakening, was spread by his son-in-law Robert Sandeman into England and America, where the members were called Sandemanians.Glas dissented from the Westminster...

 Christian sect..

Publications

Since 1990 the Society has published Architectural Heritage

Architectural Heritage

Architectural Heritage is an academic journal published by Edinburgh University Press on behalf of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland in November each year. It was founded in 1991. The journal focuses on architectural history and conservation articles covering all periods of building up...

, an annual academic journal dedicated to the study of Scotland's buildings. These comprehensive studies of many of Scotland's most renowned architects - including thematic studies on William Adam, Robert Adam, the contemporaries of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Gothic Revival in Scotland, and essays on Scottish Architects' Papers - alongside a wide range of other architectural topics, creating a comprehensive and essential source for Scotland's architecture.

The twice-yearly magazine, which is supported by Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...

 the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...

, contains reports on built heritage issues, casework, and group events.