Preserving Scotland's obscure romantic ruins

Abstract

While Romanticism and the never-ending, evolving debate of conservation versus restoration certainly both have a part to play in the preservation concerns of ruinous Scottish castles, the present work will propose a more rationalistic and technically-based point of view. Research and on-site surveys show that derelict castles have been excavated, consolidated, and put on display through previous maintenance-works and restorations. The use of technology, evolving over time, has thus enabled dilapidated castles to come through the ages in various states of preservation. An analysis of said techniques, deformations, decay mechanisms, and the currently visible weathering, will offer leads on what defects occur in ruinous castles exposed to the highly changeable Scottish weather; further analysis on which conservation-works have previously been used to slow down and/or freeze the weathering of said ruins, as well as the effects of the technology used in said conservations. These factors all affect our understanding and appreciation of a ruin’s character.