Colin McWilliam (1928–1989) was a British architecture academic and author.

Career

Born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, he graduated from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and became Director of the Scottish National Buildings Record, then the Assistant Secretary of the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

. He also directed architectural history and conservation at

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

, and later

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

. He was a founder of the

Dictionary of Scottish Architects The Dictionary of Scottish Architects is a publicly available online database that provides biographical information about all architects known to have worked in Scotland between 1660 and 1980, and lists their works. Launched in 2006, it was comp ...

Project, and was instrumental in setting up the

Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) is a society dedicated to the protection and study of the built heritage of Scotland. It has around 1000 members and five regional groups responsible for commenting on planning applications in ...

. Studying at the

British School in Rome The British School at Rome (BSR) is a British interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture established in Rome. Historical and archaeological study are at the core of its activities. History The British Sc ...

he returned to Scotland in 1951 to work with architect Stewart Kaye and with the National Building Record. From 1965 to 1972 McWilliam was a Council member of the influential Edinburgh conservationist group the

Cockburn Association The Cockburn Association, often subtitled Edinburgh Civic Trust, is an architectural, conservation, and urban planning monitoring organisation in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. The Cockburn Association, founded in 1875, is one o ...

. In the 1970s, he was approached by

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

who, having completed the series ''

The Buildings of England ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', was keen to extend the project to cover the rest of the UK. McWilliam went on to co-write two volumes in '' The Buildings of Scotland'' series and became the project's editor. He designed a desk and a bookcase incorporating copies of a portrait medallion of

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

James Tassie James Tassie (1735–1799) was a Scotland, Scottish engraved gem, gem engraver and modeller. He is remembered for a particular style of miniature medallion heads, portraying the profiles of the rich and famous of Britain, and for making and sell ...

, for the Cabinet Room in

Bute House Bute House () is the official residence and workplace of the first minister of Scotland. Located at 6 Charlotte Square in the New Town of Edinburgh, it is the central house on the north side of the square and was designed by Robert Adam. It ...

, the official residence of the

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

. Colin McWilliam is commemorated on a plaque in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He was the father of the author Candia McWilliam.

Publications

*''Culross: A Short Guide to the Royal Burgh'' (1962) *''Scottish Townscape'' (1975) *''Lothian, except Edinburgh''. Buildings of Scotland (1978) *''Edinburgh''. Buildings of Scotland. (1984) (with David Walker and John Gifford)

References

External links

Dictionary of Scottish Architects ProjectPevsner Architectural Guides
1928 births 1989 deaths Scottish architecture writers Scottish art critics Scottish art historians Scottish curators People associated with Edinburgh Academics of Heriot-Watt University Alumni of the University of Cambridge Edinburgh College of Art Architecture academics 20th-century British historians {{Scotland-writer-stub