Sir William Bruce: Classicism and the Castle

The chapter, in a book primarily concerned with early classical architecture in Scotland, discusses how, nevertheless, indigenous, castellated architecture continued to be built. The reasons for this had nothing to do with the need for defence and this chapter explores the much more complex reasons why 'Scottishness' continued to be important in Scottish architecture in this period. The focus is on Sir William Bruce, the royal architect, who combined both modern classicism and traditional Scottish forms in the most important building in the late seventeenth century - Holyrood Palace.