'Without doubt, the most beautiful book ever devoted to the historic architecture of Scotland,' - Scots, Journal of the Scots Heritage Society

COMPILED BETWEEN 1845 AND 1852, this magnificent collection of 240 engravings with accompanying commentaries records the most significant medieval buildings in Scotland. In his Introduction to the 1901 edition, the celebrated architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson said:

'The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland will always occupy a prominent place in the library of every student of Architecture and Scottish History... The high standard of artistic and accurate draughtsmanship and the careful selection of examples at once placed this work in the front rank of Architectural publications...'

Robert Billings (1813-1874) was an architect whose passion for churches and ancient buildings was considerable. In an age when Scotland had become lauded abroad through the works of Sir Walter Scott, this Englishman brought a wider awareness and recognition of Scotland's architectural heritage and greatly influenced many Victorian architects. His exquisite draughtsmanship was greatly praised and his drawings were regularly exhibited at The Royal Academy.

Although responsible for illustrating this astonishing publication, Billings was primarily engaged throughout his professional life in delineating and restoring historic buildings. A master geometer, he also wrote The Power of Form, producing designs for the tracery of windows which matched many of those produced by masons in the Gothic era.

This facsimile edition, presented in two volumes, is introduced by Ian Gow, Chief Curator of the National Trust for Scotland and author of Scotland's Lost Houses, who describes the background to the book's creation and its significance once published. It also reproduces Sir Robert Rowand Anderson's 1901 Introduction.