Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland
@theAHSS
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Speaking For Scotland's Buildings! Campaigning. Membership. Events.
Scotland
Joined November 2010
Did you know one of Edinburgh’s most historic churches began life in a wool store?. Join our evening visit to Old St Paul’s Scottish Episcopal Church on 22 July, incl. St Patrick’s RC Church. 🎟️ £10, booking essential.
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📍 VISIT: Hospitalfield House, Arbroath.🗓️ 30 Aug 2025 | 11am–4pm | £45.🧁 Garden tour, house tour, lunch & chapel visit. Discover the vision of Patrick & Elizabeth Allan Fraser at one of Scotland’s most inspiring Arts & Crafts homes. 🔗 Book by 16 Aug:
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🏰 Join us in Stirling on 19 July for a walking tour led by @histenvscot District Architect Jacqueline Mulcair!. Explore the Old Town & finish near Stirling Castle.🕥 10:30am, Stirling Station.🎟️ £15, booking required.🥪 Bring lunch!.🔗
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💬 “I’ve gained so much through AHSS – connections, knowledge & access to amazing places.” – Sarah, member since 2003. From site visits to shaping planning decisions, AHSS helped Sarah build a career in heritage. 🔗 Join us →
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🔔 Don’t miss our Musselburgh tour this Saturday!. Explore Pinkie House & the historic town with guide Alastair Learmont. 📅 Sat 5 July, 10:15am.📍 Meet at Loretto gates, Linkfield Rd.🎟️ £15, booking essential.🚌 Buses 44/113/124 .
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🧩 What does AHSS actually do when it comes to planning?. We review hundreds of applications a year—objecting when proposals threaten listed buildings or historic areas, and supporting when they enhance them. 📄 Learn more: . 📸 Tom Parnell
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Heritage isn’t just about returning to a single historical moment—it’s about layers. The current design is one of those layers, and it matters. 🔗 Read more about our casework and join us in speaking up for Scotland’s historic places:
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“The existing façade introduces a subtle yet unique, playful character to George Street… its removal is unwarranted and purely for branding.”. The new design ignores Edinburgh Council’s own conservation guidance and removes character for commercial convenience.
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But this isn’t just any 80s shopfront. It’s part of the building’s listed description. Historic Environment Scotland records it as a significant architectural feature reflecting the shop’s historic use as an optician.
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The proposal would remove the 1985/86 portico and “spectacle order” Ionic columns—designed by Simpson & Brown—and replace them with a simplified, pseudo-Georgian façade.
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Why we’re objecting to the proposed changes at 44 George Street, Edinburgh.A new application seeks to replace a distinctive 1980s shopfront on this Category B listed building. Here’s why we’re saying no.
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“Wright didn’t just build a museum—he redefined one.”.💬 “Almost every museum of our time is a child of the Guggenheim.” – Peter Goldberger. 🗞️ More #MyFavouriteBuilding stories in the AHSS Magazine →
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Iain first visited in 2006—during renovations. “I was disappointed to see it under scaffolding, but stepping inside took my breath away. Light, space, movement—it puts people at the centre.”
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Its curving ramp gallery defied museum norms. 21 artists, incl. de Kooning, signed a letter condemning the design. Wright’s response? “To make building and painting an uninterrupted, beautiful symphony.”
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Commissioned in 1943 by Hilla von Rebay & Solomon Guggenheim, the building was meant to be a “temple of spirit” for avant-garde art by Kandinsky, Klee & Chagall. Wright’s design was radical—and controversial.
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“I probably first saw the Guggenheim as a student at Edinburgh College of Art in the 70s. Among the great modern architects—Le Corbusier, Kahn, Niemeyer—Wright’s spiralling white temple stood apart.”.
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Today’s My Favourite Building is the Guggenheim Museum in New York, chosen by Iain Connelly, architect and Past President of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.
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Join us for the Forth & Borders AHSS Summer Party at Inch House – a 16th-c tower house with stunning 1890s additions by MacGibbon & Ross. 📅 Thurs 19 June, 6.30–8.30pm.📍 EH16 5HF.🎟️ £15 – booking required
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From 16th-century towers to 20th-century shopfronts, the AHSS is on the front line protecting Scotland’s architectural heritage. By becoming a member, you support a nationwide voice for heritage. Join today and make a difference: . 📸 Tom Parnell
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Join us on our Pencaitland Tour this Saturday and discover Woodhall, a modest yet fascinating 16th-century tower house. 🗓️ Saturday 7 June, 10am.🎟️ Booking essential –
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