21 December 2004
Scottish Parliament Building exhibition at RCAHMS
Heritage Lottery Fund Award for Sir Basil Spence Archive Project

3 December 2004
Strategic Management Team Appointments
Download the RCAHMS Annual Review 2003-2004

30 November 2004
Freedom of Information Publication Scheme

15 November 2004
RCAHMS Commissioner Appointments
'The Architecture of Scottish Government' publication

5 November 2004
Twentieth Century Society Lecture Series

3 November 2004
Ben Lawers Historic Landscape Project Annual Conference

28 October 2004
RCAHMS receives £12 million boost for new archives store
'Archaeology in Tayside and Fife' conference

27 October 2004
Scottish Architects' Papers Preservation Project: End of Project Report
‘Creating a Future for the Past' Colloquium

18 October 2004
'Cup-marked rocks in Strath Tay: prospection, survival and destruction'

13 October 2004
Aerial photographic reconnaissance clearing shots

12 October 2004
'Man and the Landscape' Symposium
Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group Conference
Highland Archaeology Week
Launch of Antonine Wall booklet

5 October 2004
New Secretary (Chief Executive) of RCAHMS starts work

22 September 2004
Edinburgh and East Lothian Archaeology Conference

14 September 2004
Doors Open Day / Scottish Archaeology Month

7 September 2004
'Creating a Future for the Past' colloquium
Launch of new-look RCAHMS website
Launch of images on-line
The Brian Hope-Taylor Archaeological and Personal Papers Collection
Virtual Hamilton Palace website

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EXHIBITION HAS PASSED -
An exhibition about the creation of the Scottish Parliament building is on display at RCAHMS. Originally on display at the Scottish Parliament Building Information Centre at the Tun, Edinburgh, it has been redesigned for exhibition at RCAHMS.

The exhibition charts the progress of the project, from competition concept to completion, and includes plans, sketches, CAD images and models collated by the Holyrood Project Team along with additional material from the RCAHMS collections, giving visitors a valuable insight to the building.

The exhibition is available to view in the reception area and public search room at RCAHMS, John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh. For further information, please email info@rcahms.gov.uk.

The Heritage Lottery Fund today announced a grant award of £975,000 to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) for the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project.

Sir Basil Spence was Britain's most celebrated twentieth century architect. In 2003, Sir Basil's family presented the Spence Archive to RCAHMS. The gift includes office drawings, files, photographs, models and personalia; all material that has never been accessible in its entirety until now. The material spans Spence's entire working life, from student drawings and early career through his competition-winning design for Coventry Cathedral, to his later achievements with schools, universities, airports, social housing and hospitals. Coventry Cathedral consistently tops the polls of Britain's best-loved twentieth century buildings.

RCAHMS Chairman Mrs Kathleen Dalyell said: "This generous award from the Heritage Lottery Fund will allow RCAHMS to preserve the important material in the Sir Basil Spence Archive and make it available to the public. We look forward to working with our partners the National Galleries of Scotland and The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City, on an exciting programme of community participation that will culminate in a major exhibition, one of the largest ever on a Scottish architect, in 2007, the centenary of Spence's birth."

Find out more about this announcement on the Press Release page.

Following a recent recruitment exercise for 3 Senior Posts, the following appointments have been made:

· Head of Survey and Recording - Mr Jack Stevenson jack.stevenson@rcahms.gov.uk

· Head of Collections - Mrs Lesley Ferguson lesley.ferguson@rcahms.gov.uk

· Head of Education and Outreach - Ms Rebecca Bailey rebecca.bailey@rcahms.gov.uk

The RCAHMS Annual Review 2003-2004 is now available to download with Adobe Reader. To reduce downloading time, each chapter can be downloaded as separate PDFs.

The Annual Review can also be purchased as a printed publication for £6.50 (plus £2.00 UK postage and packing).

Find out more and download the Annual Review on the Publications page.

The Publication Scheme for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), prepared in accordance with Section 23 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, has been added to this website. RCAHMS is committed to the objectives of the Act in encouraging more openness, transparency and accessibility in the interest of the public.

The purpose of this publication scheme is to set out:

· the classes of information we publish (or intend to publish)
· how this information is published
· whether this information is available free of charge or on payment of a fee

Read the complete Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Patricia Ferguson has announced the appointment of two new Commissioners to RCAHMS. The new Commissioners are:

Professor John Hunter (Professor of Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham) and Ms Kate Byrne (a postgraduate student and researcher in Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and previously an Information Technology Manager in various organisations).

Find out more about about this announcement on the Press Release page.
Find out more about the Commissioners and Chairman on the Commissioners page.

'The Architecture of Scottish Government: From Kingship to Parliamentary Democracy' is an extensively illustrated book - a historical overview of Scottish buildings of government and assembly from the Middle Ages to the present day - which sets Scotland's new parliament in the broader context of the nation's architectural and social history. In sharp contrast to the traditional Victorian and early twentieth-century concept of the grand, monumental parliament building standing self-centred and in isolation, it shows how parliaments have formed just one element in a complex and constantly changing mosaic of buildings of legislation and administration, both national and civic. And it demonstrates how this architectural complexity has mirrored the ever-shifting patterns of Scottish society itself. In 'The Architecture of Scottish Government' the evolution from feudalism to Presbyterian imperialism and, in turn, to modern social democracy is, literally, inscribed in stone - in the great halls of kingly power as much as in the town halls of Victorian civic pride and the towers of twentieth-century welfare administration.

Published by Dundee University Press, edited and co-authored by Miles Glendinning of RCAHMS, Aonghus MacKechnie (Historic Scotland), Richard Oram (Stirling University) and with an appendix by Athol Murray (formerly National Archives of Scotland), this book is available to purchase for £30.00 from the Dundee University Press website.

Bernat Klein Studio,
Scottish Borders.
SC716132

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
The theme of the Twentieth Century Society autumn lecture series is 'Dream Living', the 20th century house by idealist architects who have influenced the way we live today. Lectures take place at 6.30pm at The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, London EC1.

RCAHMS architectural investigator Simon Green will be presenting a lecture on Thursday 18 November on master of 'aesthetic experimentation' - Peter Womersley.

For further information about this event, see the Twentieth Century Society website.

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The Ben Lawers Historic Landscape Project is holding its second Annual Conference on Saturday 20th November at the AK Bell Library in Perth. The day long conference will be an opportunity to see how the project has progressed.

Steve Boyle, Archaeological Investigator in RCAHMS Field Survey, will be talking about 'Ben Lawers: Landscape Context and John Farquharson's 1769 Survey'.

For more information about this conference, including a provisional schedule, see the Ben Lawers website.

The Scottish Government has announced that RCAHMS is to receive £12 million to build a new store, providing more space to accommodate records under the best environmental conditions, and enabling improved public access to the collections.

Announcing the news, Patricia Ferguson, Minister with responsibility for built heritage, said:

"I am delighted to announce that the Executive has agreed to provide capital funding of £12 million towards the construction of a new archive storage building for the Commission. The new building will allow RCAHMS to build on its success as a resource for everyone to use, and for people around the globe to access records on-line."

Find out more about about this announcement on the Press Release page.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
A one-day meeting, outlining what has been happening in archaeology in Tayside and Fife in the past year, will be held in the University of St Andrews, Fife, on Saturday 6th November.

Speakers from RCAHMS will include Rebecca Jones, 'A Horseman riding by: Archaeological Discovery in 1754' and John Sherriff, '6000 years of carved stones: some recent discoveries in Tayside and Fife'.

Download:
Further details and conference programme (27KB)

31 October 2004 sees the completion of the groundbreaking Scottish Architects' Papers Preservation Project. Over the last five years a generous grant of £1,023,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, together with support from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, has enabled over 195,800 drawings, photographs and manuscripts from 25 architectural practices across Scotland to be catalogued, conserved and made available to the public.

The papers, dating from the mid 19th to the late 20th century, contain valuable information about Scotland's built heritage. All types of buildings are featured: from country houses to housing schemes, from farms to factories, and from schools to shops.

The conclusion of the project has been marked by the publication of a 136-page report Creating a Future for the Past: the Scottish Architects' Papers Preservation Project. It documents the project from its inception to its conclusion, and includes full colour illustrations from all 25 collections, as well as chapters on cataloguing and conservation methodology. The Report is priced at £6.00 (UK postage £2.00) - find out how to order this on the Publications page.

The Report was launched at the colloquium 'Creating a Future for the Past: Archive Projects and the Heritage Lottery Fund' (see news article below). For further information about the achievements of the project, see the Press Release page.

On 30 September 2004, 130 delegates attended a colloquium hosted by RCAHMS. ‘Creating a Future for the Past: Archive Projects and the Heritage Lottery Fund’ took place at the Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, and officially marked the conclusion of the Scottish Architects’ Papers Preservation Project (SAPPP).

MSP Frank McAveety, in his former role as Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, delivered a keynote speech in which he launched the SAPPP End of Project Report (see news article above). Speakers from home and abroad included Carole Soutar, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund; George MacKenzie, Keeper of the National Archives of Scotland; Elizabeth Hallam Smith, Director of Public Services at the National Archives based at Kew, London; and Hetty Berens from the Netherlands Architecture Institute.

Themes of the day included the expectations of archive users, and how archives can respond to changing demands, not only in terms of funding patterns but also with advances in information technology and communication. A showcase of nine HLF-funded projects was also exhibited at the event.

Roger Mercer, on his last day as Chief Executive of RCAHMS, delivered a summing up of the event. At the drinks reception afterwards SAPPP Manager Neil Gregory presented him with a framed copy of a drawing from the Monro & Partners Collection to mark his retirement.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
Dr Alex Hale PhD FSA Scot, Archaeological Investigator in RCAHMS Field Survey, will be giving a talk to the Breadalbane Heritage Society, at Grandtully Village Hall, near Aberfeldy on Friday 19th November entitled 'Cup-marked rocks in Strath Tay: prospection, survival and destruction'.

For further information about this talk, please email alex.hale@rcahms.gov.uk.

RCAHMS staff are available to give talks and lectures to local societies, groups, associations, conferences and seminars throughout Scotland. Whether you are interested in the work of RCAHMS and the resources held in our collections which might relate to your group or area, or are keen to know about a more specific topic, we will endeavour to supply a fully illustrated talk showing examples of the work carried out by RCAHMS and the resources available.

To arrange a talk to be given to your group, please complete our Talks and Lectures online form.

The collection of Royal Air Force aerial photographs of Scotland taken during the National Survey (1946-50) and now held in the RCAHMS Air Photographs Collection, comprises over 280,000 vertical and oblique images. A recent conservation audit of the 1940s negative films held at RCAHMS brought to light one of the hidden aspects of this archive and stimulated a wider search for similar material.

Often overlooked, the clearing shots made at the beginning and sometimes at the end of each sortie were rediscovered. Find out more, and view examples of these images, on the Aerial Photographic Reconnaissance Clearing Shots Highlight.

Find out more about the RCAHMS Air Photographs Collection and its contents on the Collections page.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
The 30th Annual 'Man and the Landscape' Symposium organised by the Forth Naturalist and Historian, in collaboration with the Scottish Industrial Heritage Society, will be held at the University of Stirling (Cottrell Building) on Saturday 13 November, titled 'Landscapes of the Mines: The rise and fall of coal mining and its impact on the landscapes of central Scotland'.

RCAHMS staff member Miles Oglethorpe will be speaking on 'Losing our mines - remembering the Scottish Coal industry' at 12.05pm.

For further information about this event, see the Forth Naturalist and Historian website.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
This conference, organised jointly by the Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group and The Prehistoric Society and hosted by the University of Bradford, draws together archaeologists and scientists from Europe and America to discuss their current researches in and approaches to the field of Prehistoric Ceramics.

RCAHMS staff member Cole Henley will be presenting a paper on 'Neolithic pottery in the Outer Hebrides' at 11.30am on Saturday 23 October.

For further information and a full programme of events, see the Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group website.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
Highland Archaeology Week is a pioneering annual event celebrating archaeology and heritage in the Highland Area. The Highland Council's Archaeology Unit promote and co-ordinate the programme, with events organised by community groups, heritage centres and museums, professional archaeologists and other organisations.

RCAHMS is pleased to be participating in this event with the following contributions:

Wednesday 13 October: 'The Archaeology of Ross-shire' - an illustrated talk by Allan Kilpatrick at Lochcarron Village Hall, 7.00-8.00pm.
Thursday 14 October: 'Exploring the Heritage of the Ross and Cromarty area using the resources of RCAHMS' - a talk by Siobhan McConnachie at the Seaforth Room, National Hotel, Dingwall, 7.30-9.00pm.
Friday 15 October: 'Exploring the Heritage of Grantown-on-Spey using the resources of RCAHMS' - a talk by Siobhan McConnachie at Grantown Museum, 7.30-9.00pm.
Friday 15 October: 'The Archaeology of Ross-shire' - an illustrated talk by Allan Kilpatrick at Ullapool Library, 7.00-8.00pm.
Saturday 16 October: Seminar - What's New in Highland Archaeology, including 'The Results of RCAHMS Recent Survey Work in Caithness', 2.40-3.15pm.

For further information and a full programme of events, see the Highland Council Archaeology Unit website.

RCAHMS and Historic Scotland have jointly published a booklet on the Antonine Wall, written by Professor David J Breeze, Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments in Historic Scotland.

The booklet, fully illustrated in colour, discusses the historical background to the building of the Wall and its archaeology. It also covers modern-day issues relating to the Wall, places where you can see the Wall, and museums to visit.

The booklet was launched by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mr Frank McAveety, MSP, at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow on the 21st September. It is available from Historic Scotland for £2.50.

Mrs Diana Murray took over as Secretary (Chief Executive) of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland on 1st October. Mrs Murray, who was previously Curator Depute of the National Monuments Record of Scotland at the RCAHMS, is the first woman to hold the post in the 96 year history of the organisation. She has an MA in Archaeology and Anthropology from Cambridge University and has been employed by RCAHMS since 1976. She has lectured and published extensively on information systems for archives and the importance of public access to such data. Mrs Murray was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1977 and of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1986. She was elected chair of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, the professional body for archaeological practice in Britain from 1995-6 and set up the Register of Archaeological Organisations which helps to set and maintain standards for the profession.

This is a full time permanent appointment. Mrs Murray succeeds Mr Roger Mercer who retired at the end of September.

Mrs Murray said 'my aims for RCAHMS include making it more user-friendly, developing its outreach and educational potential and engaging in more partnerships with other organisations. Information management is at the heart of our business and the key to the future - and I am very ambitious for the role RCAHMS can play in Scotland's cultural heritage'.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
The third annual conference organised by the City of Edinburgh Council and East Lothian Council will be held at the University of Edinburgh on Saturday 13 November. It provides an important opportunity to hear and discuss first hand accounts of the archaeological fieldwork and research being done in Edinburgh and East Lothian.

RCAHMS staff contributing to the discussions are:
· Mapping and Management: Recent work using Geographic Information Systems in and around Edinburgh - Peter McKeague
· Making the East Lothian Landscape: Historic Land-use Assessment in East Lothian - Piers Dixon

Download:
Programme of events and booking form (416KB)
Introduction and travel details (1.43MB)

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
RCAHMS will be open on Saturday 25 September from 10am to 5pm, as part of Doors Open Day and Scottish Archaeology Month. Guided tours of the public search room and exclusive access around the building will allow you to find out more about the work of RCAHMS and the wealth of information available. Explore our fascinating collection of photographs, drawings and archive material relating to the buildings, archaeology and maritime heritage of Scotland.

Find out about the new Scottish Parliament Building in our exhibition, an edited re-presentation of material previously on display at the Scottish Parliament Building Visitor Centre. Plans, sketches, CAD images and models collated by the Holyrood Project Team are on display, along with additional material from the RCAHMS collections, giving visitors a valuable insight to the building.

Talks will be given by members of staff:
· The best of RCAHMS Aerial Photography - Strat Halliday, 11:30am
· RCAHMS recent survey at Yarrows, Caithness, Highland Council Area - John Sherriff, 12:15pm

To let us know if you are interested in attending, and if there is anything in particular you would like to see, email info@rcahms.gov.uk.

- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS PASSED -
RCAHMS is to host a colloquium to celebrate the conclusion of the Scottish Architects Papers Preservation Project (SAPPP). Over the past five years the project has catalogued and conserved over 185,000 drawings, photographs and manuscripts, enabling them to be studied and enjoyed by the general public.

'Creating a Future for the Past: Archive Projects and the Heritage Lottery Fund' will take place at the Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh on Thursday 30 September 2004 and will be of great benefit to any archive or library that is considering seeking HLF funding.

The colloquium will consider recent achievements with HLF funding and includes speakers from national archives, architectural organisations and the HLF who have either completed projects or are involved in exciting ventures that are in their infancy. A showcase of funded projects will be on display so delegates will be able to seek inspiration from other initiatives.

The central theme of the day is to consider the expectations and ambitions of users, and how archives can respond to changing demands and exciting new possibilities, not only in terms of funding patterns but also with advances in information technology and communication.

Download:
Programme and booking form (11MB)
Programme and abstracts (439KB)

For further details contact Neil Gregory, SAPP Project Manager: neil.gregory@rcahms.gov.uk

Regular users of the RCAHMS website will notice that the site has undergone complete redesign. In response to user feedback, and inaccordance with accessibility guidelines, the website has been restructured to improve layout and navigation. Additions to the site include:

· the ability to go directly to a page using the Website Index on the Homepage;
· the addition of more downloadable forms that you can email or post back to us;
· improved access to details available through the Freedom of Information Publication Scheme;
· an extensive Education section with resources for Lifelong Learning; Higher, Further and Continuing Education; Schools; and Professional Development.

Let us know what you think of the new site. Email your comments and suggestions for changes to info@rcahms.gov.uk.

Canmore, the database of the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS), contains details of thousands of archaeological sites, monuments, buildings and maritime sites in Scotland along with an index to the drawings, manuscripts and photographs in the collections of the NMRS.

At RCAHMS we are continually developing and improving access to our information. We are pleased to announce an exciting development to the Canmore database. From 13 July 2004, Canmore has been supplemented with over 60,000 digital images allowing direct access to views of NMRS collection items for the first time. These images constitute a small fraction of the total number of items in our archive collections, and new images will be added to the database as they are digitised.

Register to use Canmore or start a search to find out what we hold.

Brian Hope-Taylor (1923-2001) was a remarkable archaeologist who had a major influence on excavation techniques and archaeological illustration. He carried out a number of important excavations during the 1950s and 1960s but many of these, with the notable exception of Yeavering, were never fully published. A large quantity of archaeological archive material, including artefacts, remained in his Cambridge home at his death and was retrieved by the joint efforts of RCAHMS and English Heritage.

The storage conditions of the material had been very poor and the collection was in no logical order. Funding from English Heritage, Historic Scotland and RCAHMS enabled the material to be stabilised with the aid of a conservator and to be sorted into main categories and listed.

The collection is currently not available to the public. The aim of work to date has been to make an assessment of what would be required to catalogue and conserve the collection in order to bring it to a state where it can be used.

RCAHMS has attracted small grants from SCRAN, York Archaeological Trust (for York Minster material), and Historic Scotland. Further funding is required for the next stage of cataloguing and conservation work.

The archive assessment report for 1 July 2002 to 31 December 2002 can be downloaded as a PDF file. To view a PDF file you will need to have a copy of Adobe Reader on your computer. If you do not already have a copy, it can be downloaded from Adobe's web site: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html

Download:   the archive assessment report (1.54MB)

The Virtual Hamilton Palace website is the first stage of a longer term research project to provide more information about one of Scotland's most famous lost buildings, its magnificent contents and its occupants throughout the centuries.

The ultimate aim is to recreate the Palace in a virtual world and bring back together the unique collections of paintings, furniture and objets d'art which have since been dispersed to become the treasures of museums around the world and to set these in their historical and cultural contexts through a series of research projects and the publication of related archive materials.

The project is being undertaken by the Virtual Hamilton Palace Trust which includes experts in the field and representatives of a number of Scotland's leading cultural institutions. The website has been created with a grant from the New Opportunities Fund through the Resources for Learning in Scotland scheme in association with SCRAN. It has been undertaken with the co-operation of a number of institutions and individuals led by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland under the overall direction of the Trust.

Go to the Virtual Hamilton Palace website: http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/hamilton/index.html