Newhailes: an 18th-century designed landscape in Scotland and its role in enlightenment social theatre

Abstract

SUMMARY: Newhailes House on the outskirts of Edinburgh is surrounded by an 18th-century designed landscape which encapsulates the philosophical and aesthetic concerns of the Scottish Enlightenment. Through the use of excavation and building surveys this paper examines the surviving elements of this landscape and discusses how their design and function can be interpreted as tools to negotiate, create and sustain social structures.