Perth and Kinross advertises itself for the tourist trades as “The heart of Scotland”, which, in geographical terms, it is. It lies on the boundary of the Highlands and the Lowlands, a location which accounts for the wide variety of architecture described in the latest volume of the Rutland Press’s admirable series of guides. Indeed, straddling the geological fault line as well, Perthshire can even boast a specially built earthquake observatory, at Comrie. In historical terms, its position also gave rise to numerous fortified houses, most still occupied, and which, if their proprietors climbed the greasy pole of politics, might develop into vast country houses like Blair Castle. Others, conversely, later found their stately Victorian piles too much to keep up, but some of the more spectacular examples have been included even if no longer extant. From earlier periods, the two counties possess, at Kenmore, the only reconstructed crannog (lake dwelling) in the country, and at Ardoch, supposedly the best‐preserved Roman earthworks in the whole Empire. The city of Perth (so denominated because Queen Victoria mistakenly addressed the Provost as “Lord Provost”, a story the author has missed) can provide every variety of architecture, from a hotel genuinely visited by Bonnie Prince Charlie to an Art Deco cinema built in three weeks. Throughout the volume are found thumbnail descriptions and photographs not only of the more obvious houses and churches, but of schools, farms, shops, stations, mills, offices and memorials of all kinds, not forgetting the tallest hedge in the world.
So up to date is the book that one of the buildings featured was erected in 2000, and notice is taken of a forthcoming change in the location of the historic Dupplin Cross, which will take place in late 2001. There is a short bibliography, including Web sites, a glossary and a comprehensive index. The Rutland Press series is now two‐thirds of its way through Scotland, and it is estimated that the 24 volumes so far published (at a total price of about £200) describe 35,000 buildings. Scotland would be fortunate if the other aspects of her culture were so well served.
