Events Archives - Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland

Thurs 15 October 2026, 7pm (doors open 6.30)
Highlands & Islands group lecture: Harriet Richardson Blakeman takes us on a tour of Scotland’s hydroelectric stations

Thursday 15 October 2026, 7pm (doors open 6.30)
St Stephen’s Church, Southside Road, Inverness IV2 4XA

Tickets available on the door (cash only) or below

Dr Harriet Richardson Blakeman considers the evolving architecture of hydroelectricity, how these large projects were promoted, and the efforts made to address their impact on the landscape.

Drinks will be served after the talk.

It is hoped to livestream the talk via Zoom and this page will be updated once arrangements have been finalised.

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H&I: Power from the Glens lecture

Thursday 29 October 2026
Peter Drummond will explore the buildings Glasgow has lost over the years.

Thursday, 29 October 2026 | 7-9pm | St Andrews West Church & Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP

Peter is a trustee of the National Trust for Scotland and the Building Preservation Trust for Scotland. He serves on the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland’s Practice Board and is a former national chairman of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. He writes and speaks regularly about built heritage. This session will explore the buildings Glasgow has lost over the years.

AHSS Strathclyde Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students | £25 for a 5 lecture bundle

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.

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SC: Glasgow’s Lost Buildings with Peter Drummond

Friday 30 October 2026
Joint conference between the AHSS and the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of the architect David Bryce (1803 – 1876). It will be held in one of Bryce’s own buildings, the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, now the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

David Bryce was one of Scotland’s most celebrated Victorian architects and a central figure in the creation of the distinctive Scots Baronial style popular in the 19th century. He is best known for the sprawling and turreted country houses he designed across Scotland, which masterfully combined picturesque effects with the modern comforts and planning of the Victorian home.

In Edinburgh he contributed several notable buildings to the cityscape, including the Royal Infirmary, Fettes College and the Italianate Bank of Scotland on the Mound.

This conference will showcase the latest research on Bryce’s life and work, celebrating him as a key figure in the history of Scottish architecture.

Speakers will include Ralph St Clair Wade, author of a forthcoming volume on Bryce; Alex Bremner; Clarisse Godard-Desmarest; Ian Gow; and Aonghus Mackechnie. All are sure to bring fascinating insights into Bryce’s career and the architectural world of 19th-century Scotland in which he worked.

A drinks reception will be held in the evening, after the conference, at the Bank of Scotland on the Mound.

This page will be updated with further details as they become available.

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AHSS David Bryce Symposium 2026

Saturday 31 October 2026
70th Annual General Meeting of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland

The 70th AGM of The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland will be held on Saturday 31 October at 10.30am, in person in the Chapel of Fettes College, Carrington Road, Edinburgh.

The business of the AGM will be followed by a tour of Fettes College. In the afternoon, AGM attendees can travel to Innerleithen to visit Glen House, another remarkable David Bryce building.

Agenda

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of the 69th Annual General Meeting
vote: “that the Minutes of the 69th AGM are approved”
3. President’s remarks
4. Chairman’s report
5. Treasurer’s report on year ended 31 March 2026
6. Elections
vote: approval of any nominations
7. Ordinary resolution:
vote: “that Messrs Henderson Loggie be re-appointed as Independent Examiners for the year to 31 March 2027”
8. Any other competent business

Further details

5. Our Annual Report and Financial Statements were independently examined, approved by the Trustees, and signed on 31 August 2026. Full copies can be downloaded, free of charge, from the Companies House website or obtained from the Treasurer at the National Office.

Registration
Please register your attendance at the AGM by booking a ticket below

Questions
If you would like to ask a question at the AGM, please submit it in advance to nationaloffice@ahss.org.uk by Tuesday 27 October.

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AHSS AGM 2026

Monday 9 November 2026
In this joint lecture with Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage, art historian Dr Andrew Paterson will introduce the creative practices of two celebrated contemporary artists based in Scotland, the sculptor Andy Goldsworthy and the pioneer of ‘concrete poetry’ Ian Hamilton Finlay.

Mon, 9 November 2026 | 6:30 -8:30pm | Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL

In this joint lecture with Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage, art historian Dr Andrew Paterson will introduce the creative practices of two celebrated contemporary artists based in Scotland, the sculptor Andy Goldsworthy and the pioneer of ‘concrete poetry’ Ian Hamilton Finlay, who have both elected to install much of their work outdoors, in both wild and cultivated natural environments, and who invite their audiences into a fresh experience of the natural world that is both thought-provoking and immersive.

AHSS Forth & Borders Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.
The venue is wheelchair accessible.

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F&B: Contemporary Landscapes of Poetic Reflection with Dr Andrew Paterson

Thursday 26 November 2026
Niall Murphy will offer an entertaining, insightful and wonderful opportunity to learn more about Glasgow’s built heritage.

Thursday, 26 November 2026 | 7-9pm | St Andrews West Church & Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP

Niall is Director at Glasgow City Heritage Trust and former Chair of the Govanhill Baths Building Preservation Trust. He’s also a trustee of BEFS and co-chair of the Glasgow Built Heritage Commission. His evenings with the AHSS are always entertaining, insightful and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Glasgow’s built heritage.

AHSS Strathclyde Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students | £25 for a 5 lecture bundle

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.

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SC: Glasgow’s Heritage with Niall Murphy

Monday 7 December 2026
This talk explores the ecclesiastical work of Dr Reginald Fairlie (1883-1952), one of the last figures in the historicist tradition in Scotland and remembered today as architect of the National Library of Scotland.

Mon, 7 December 2026 | 6:30 -8:30pm | Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL

This talk explores the ecclesiastical work of Dr Reginald Fairlie (1883-1952), one of the last figures in the historicist tradition in Scotland and remembered today as architect of the National Library of Scotland. Fairlie’s churches were characterised by simplicity and fine craftsmanship, rooted in his deep love of Scotland’s history, landscape, and religious traditions, particularly in the liturgy and customs of his own Catholic faith.

AHSS Forth & Borders Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.
The venue is wheelchair accessible.

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F&B: Reginald Fairlie: Church Design in early twentieth-century Scotland with Dr Rory Lamb

Thursday 28 January 2026
Drawing on his recent book, Edinburgh: City of Romanticism, Aonghus explores how Edinburgh’s distinctive stone castles and Gothic architecture shaped the city throughout the long 19th century.

Thursday, 28 January 2027 | 7-9pm | St Andrews West Church & Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP

Romanticism transformed Scotland’s identity and launched its tourism industry. Drawing on his recent book, Edinburgh: City of Romanticism, Aonghus explores how Edinburgh’s distinctive stone castles and Gothic architecture shaped the city throughout the long 19th century. He’ll also include examples from western Scotland and Glasgow.

AHSS Strathclyde Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students | £25 for a 5 lecture bundle

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.

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SC: Edinburgh: City of Romanticism with Aonghus MacKechnie

Thursday 25 February 2026
Discover how vintage picture postcards offer a unique window into Scotland’s historic buildings and streetscapes with architectural historian Gordon Urquhart.

Thursday, 25 February 2027 | 7-9pm | St Andrews West Church & Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP

Gordon is an architectural historian and conservationist, and recently retired Postgraduate Course Director with Historic Environment Scotland.

Vintage picture postcards are valuable records of historic buildings and local street-scapes. Architectural photography was once expensive and uncommon for everyday properties, so these postcards often provide the only detailed visual records we have of how ordinary historic environments looked.

AHSS Strathclyde Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students | £25 for a 5 lecture bundle

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.

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SC: Wish You Were Here: A Postcard View of Scottish Architecture with Gordon Urquhart

Thursday 25 March 2026
Explore the development of Art Deco in Scotland and the international influences that shaped Scottish architecture and design with Professor Bruce Peter.

Thursday, 25 March 2027 | 7-9pm | St Andrews West Church & Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP

Bruce is a Professor of Design History at Glasgow School of Art. He’s written extensively
on modern architecture and design, particularly in transport, leisure, and hospitality, and is internationally recognised for his work on the design history of modern merchant ships.

This session will cover the development of the Art Deco style in Scottish towns and cities between the world wars, and the influence of continental and American design on Scotland from the mid-1800s onwards.

AHSS Strathclyde Group Winter Lecture Series

£6 online/in-person | £2 students | £25 for a 5 lecture bundle

All of our events are hybrid with options to attend either in-person or online via Zoom.
Online ticket sales end at 5 pm on the day of the event.

BACK