Planning and architecture of the settlements of the North-East Lowlands of Scotland - a regional study

A. THE DISTRIBUTION OF SETTLEMENTS. The physical, economic and social conditions of the region have been described (Part I). The main factors influencing the settlements were the great change in agricultural practice in the 18th and 19th centuries, the development during the former of rural industries and during the latter of specialised urban industries, the growth during the 18th century of the white fishing and in the 19th of the herring industries, and the opening up of communications progressively after 1745. All these factors are individnfilly related to the geography, geology and climate of the region. Thus the initial breakdown into fundamental zones - Highland, Upland, Lowland and Coastline - is justified. In each respect, in agriculture, industrial development, coastal trade, and most noticeably in communications, there was a marked transformation in the lowland areas, a steady concentration along the coastline, a growth of certain nuclei in the uplands, and a relatively slower and more scattered development in the highlands.

B. Types of building. In addition to the factors mentioned above, the most important influence on the development of building types has been the availability of building materials and the methods of construction which they made possible. The rural, village and small burgh buildings are always a demonstration of the use of local materials; this is one aspect which distinguished them from major works of architecture. The distribution of materials and the history of their working has been given in detail in Part Ii. There is no doubt that they have influenced the creation of local character, and many of the illustrations are devoted to demonstrating this fact. Some of the principal groups are the granite buildings of Buchan and the highlands, the old red sandstone buildings of north west Aberdeenshire and the east of Banffshire, the clay and boule buildings of Spey Bay, the heavy slated buildings of east Banffshire, Foudland and western Banffshire, the tiled buildings of the coastline and certain not very distant inland areas such as Turriff, and the more refined yellow sandstone buildings of Moray, built of the finest freestone in the region. While thatch was formerly ubiquitous, there are certain contrasts between the straw thatch of the lowlands (especially Moray) and of the fisher towns, and the heather thatch of the uplands and highlands. The final map (Fig. 102) has been drawn in an attempt to indicate broadly the main groups; they overlap considerably, and the boundaries are not to be taken as exact.

C. Twentieth Century Trends. Developments in housing during this century are in many respects the real conclusion to the subject of this study. The houses and the layout of settlements have a history of steady development along traditional lines from the early 18th century to approximately the time of the Great War. House types changed only in the way described above; village extensions followed the pattern of the planned villages in a natural way. Until 1914 there was little change in the use of materials or ií/construction from the practice of the previous century. There were some good examples of rural housing on some estates. At Dunecht the Cowdray family were responsible for some very neat traditional housing, partly in rows and partly in small groups. A view of the latter (Pl. x.52) shows the tidy roadside arrangement and the excellent stonework of the Dunecht housing.