Stonemasonry skills development: two case studies of historic buildings in Scotland

Abstract

Purpose – Scotland’s built heritage (pre-1919 building stock) is exhibiting varying levels of disrepair, in particular for stonemasonry works, despite the government’s on-going efforts for promoting higher standards of repair and maintenance (R & M) of historic buildings. The purpose of this paper is to examine the problems associated with the R & M of historic buildings. Design/methodology/approach – Two case studies (Projects A and B) exhibiting critical disrepair are reported. Site surveying was carried-out on both projects, to identify site features and R & M problems along with proposed solutions drawing on the lead author’s extensive industry experience as a stonemasonry consultant. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals involved in each project to elicit views on the challenges faced. Additionally, three industry experts were interviewed to provide a wider perspective of the R & M challenges facing historic buildings. Findings – Neglect and poor practice resulted in both...