Restoring Medieval Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century

In his final work, R. J. Morris explores the nineteenth-century restorations of Edinburgh’s most iconic landmarks: John Knox House, Edinburgh Castle and St Giles’ Cathedral. Far from simple technical repairs, these projects were affected by hotly contested battles over affordable housing projects, religion and the legacy of slavery. Participants quickly formed unlikely alliances, then just as rapidly threw their new allies aside. Fundraisers and plan makers called on all the weapons of civil society: the public meeting, the celebrity visitor, and the media; harnessing the 'power of place' to define national identity. Drawing on a lifetime of scholarship and walks through Edinburgh’s streets, Morris delivers a deeply researched yet accessible narrative. He offers a fresh perspective on the complex meanings embedded into these building projects and the protagonists’ attempts to answer the question what it means to be Scottish, to be Edinburgh.