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Dictionary of Scottish Architects (1660 - 1980)
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Basic Site Details
Name
Palace of Holyroodhouse, stables
Town, District or Village
Parish
City or County
Edinburgh
Status
B listed
Country
Scotland
Grid Ref
Grid Ref N
Grid Ref E
Notes
Events
The following date-based events are associated with this building:
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Event Type
From
To
Notes
1860
1862
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People
Design and Construction
The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
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Person
Partnership Group
Role
From
To
Notes
H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)
A
1860
1862
With Matheson as architect for Scotland in the Office of Works
Robert Matheson
A
1860
1862
Matheson as architect for Scotland in the Office of Works
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Related Buildings, Structures and Designs
Parent Structure and Site
This structure is related to the following parent structure or site (click the item to view details):
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Notes
Name
List description notes that John Fowler was involved at some stage but does not make clear what his input was. <br><br>Chapel now demolished.<br><br>Robert Reid work: <br><br>SE portion rebuilt; SE quarter refloored, replastered, new woodwork, Duke of Hamiltpon's apartment woodwork cut out, new plaster and woodwork refinished. Also rebuilding part of the south wall forming the garden front of the palace tpowards the east, new roof over north west angle. Duke of Hamilton's (commendator's0 house removed; one of the south towers in common rublle completely rebuilt in ashlar, parapaets of towers renewed. South side refaced in ashlar. Alterations to interior cost £1945. Abbey Court almost completely taken down and rebuilt. <br><br>John Douglas repair work (abstract from article by Dimitris Theodossopoulos):<br><br>The collapse of the significant church of Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh in December 1768 is discussed as the result of the ill-conceived repair of the roof in 1760, i.e., the substitution of the timber trusses with closelyspaced diaphragm masonry walls that aggravated the delicate equilibrium of the vaults and the poor state of a building being mutilated over 250 years. This study interprets these repairs by demonstrating the authorship and partnership of the architect John Douglas with the mason-developer James McPherson, who combined architectural ambition (the aesthetics of a flagstone roof) with the (cheaper) option of diaphragms, which would not involve a wright. The detailed examination of the procurement, the process of the intervention, the collapse, and the limited impact of its aftermath, are framed in a wider technical and historical context in Edinburgh and Scotland, during a period marked by several failures of medieval churches, and reveals a poor understanding of a critical element in Gothic construction. Analysis of all public archive material available sheds light on key events of the case, and critical study of the work of the two partnersâ attempts to identify the intentions of their project, whose limitations were inevitable once the partnership was formed.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
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References
Bibliographic References
The following books contain references to this building:
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Author
Year
Title
Part
Publisher
Notes
Alexander, Derek
1997
Cultural Heritage Report no 262
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Periodical References
The following periodicals contain references to this building:
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Periodical Name
Date
Edition
Publisher
Notes
Builder
1860/11/24
XVIII
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Archive References
The following archives hold material relating to this building:
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Source
Name
Cat Number
Item Name
Notes
National Records of Scotland (formerly SRO, later NAS)
Ministry of Works files
Historic Environment Scotland
Listed Buildings Register
51178
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