The Archaeology and Conservation of the Country House: Leslie House and Kinross House

Between 2010 and 2012, the authors worked on Leslie House, Fife, and Kinross House, Perth & Kinross, both by Sir William Bruce. New discoveries included the predecessor structures, and the effect of the 1760s fire at Leslie, and the original arrangement of the Great Dining Room ceiling at Kinross House. An interdisciplinary approach combining the techniques of architectural history and buildings archaeology was used in both cases, and this paper re-emphasises the importance of this approach in reaching reliable conclusions about historic buildings as well as providing some insights into the workings of these houses at the time of their construction under the guidance of Sir William Bruce