Scottish Country House, 1660-1800 (U00848)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-3-AHScotCH

This course is concerned with the history of the country house in Scotland in a period which starts with the introduction of the classical country house and continues with its development and the introduction of other, historical styles. It examines the work of all the main architects of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries but does not concentrate solely on personalities, of either architects or patrons, or on purely stylistic matters. Great emphasis is laid on the actual functioning of the buildings and their wider role within the estates. The interest here is partly in purely design terms, that is the role of the house within the designed landscape, but also in the broader issues of improvement and estate management. Of particular interest is the theoretical and aesthetic background within which the houses were built. The focus here is on the introduction of the classical country house in the earlier part of the period covered by the course, and the the influences that shaped the castellated and mediaeval revivialist work that characterises the end of the period covered. 1660-1800 was also an important time for the social, political and economic development of Scotland and we will consider the relationship between these factors and the development of the country house, including issues like the economic basis of the estates; the significance of the continuation of a Court style after 1660; the architectural expression of Jacobitism in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries; and the significance of the Union for the country house in Scotland. To a limited extent, our view of the architecture of this period will also extend to other art forms, including literature and painting.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : AH2A & 2B; or Honours entry to History of Art or its combined degrees; or Honours entry to BMus (Music) or by agreement of the Head of Subject Area

? Costs : Occasional field trip costs.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Architecture - History, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) 40 minutes per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	09:00	10:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will:
Have a firm grasp of the stylistic development of country House architecture in Scotland over the period in question.
Have a firm grasp of the development of landscape design in Scotland over the period in question.
Have a sound knowledge of the relationship between these things and developments in the same fields in England and further afield.
Understand the relationship between these developments and the wider field of architectural activity over the period in question.
Understand the relationship between the Country House and its social, political and economic milieux.
Be able to discern the relationships between the style of a building and its broader, non-architectural context.
Have a sound knowledge of the functional aspects of the planning of the Country House and the relationship between plan, furnishing and decoration.
Have some knowledge of basic archival sources for researching the country House.
Be able to plan, research, write and present, using a variety of media, a clear and well-argued point of view on a given topic, with some guidance.