The Discovery of the Highlands: Scotland’s Sporting Paradise and the Architecture of the Romantic North

The Scottish Highlands are a hugely popular vacation destination and the setting for the richest fantasies of life in the British countryside, and this book is the first to examine the architecture, history, and appeal of the Highlands house. Readers will find breath-taking houses set amid the beautiful landscapes of Scotland, as well as the most authentic decorative use of Scottish tartan, arms, and armour, which have influenced the decoration of country houses worldwide. This book features stunning photographs of Scotland s most remarkable and romantic country houses. Built as seasonal homes, they range from Picturesque cottages ornes and Scotch baronial castles inspired by Queen Victoria s Balmoral, to Arts and Crafts mansions and modern fantasies set among wild mountains and remote glens. A strong element of the book is the shooting lodge, designed to accommodate parties of guests who flock north for the annual sporting season. Images from Country Life and specially commissioned photographs evoke the dramatic settings and arresting detail of these houses, making the book as appealing to decorators and historians as it is to travellers and sportsmen.