Rockville: James Gowans’ ‘Romantic Rationalist’ Masterpiece with ANDY ARTHUR
Rockville: James Gowans’ ‘Romantic Rationalist’ Masterpiece with ANDY ARTHUR
Andy Arthur looks at the history of this remarkable building and its builder, James Gowans.
Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL (wheelchair accessible); and streamed live online via Zoom
Time: 6.30pm
Cost: £6 (students £2)
Tickets available on Eventbrite
The Merchiston Pagoda, Tottering Towers, Crazy Manor, Sugar Loaf House – call it what you may, Rockville was one of the most notable buildings in Victorian Edinburgh and indeed Scotland. Andy Arthur looks at the history of this remarkable building and its builder, James Gowans, and shows how Rockville’s ornate, Gothic form hid a formulaic, rationalist approach to architecture that has much in common with the ideas of Le Corbusier.