14 C O N T E X T 1 1 0 : J U LY 2 0 0 9 Terry Levinthal Scotland’s rural heritage The survival of Scotland’s rural heritage depends on looking beyond the regulations and towards the opportunities that historic rural buildings of all types provide. The concept of rural heritage in Scotland is hard to nail down. Due to the characteristics of the country in terms of geography and landform, rurality in Scotland can differ somewhat more than in other parts of the UK.The population density is lower. Scotland, at 65 persons/ km2, is the least dense part of the UK, about a quarter of the UK density (246/km2) and 17 per cent of that of England (383/km2). There are island communities with their inherent peripherality issues. Significant parts of Scotland are remote from any population or service centre. The Scottish Government defines accessible rural as ‘settlements of fewer than 3,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more’. Remote rural are ‘settlements of fewer than 3,000 people and with a drive time of over 30 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more’. These two categories form the core definition of rurality in Scotland. In addition, there is the category of very remote rural, which are places of fewer than 3,000 people and with a drive time of over 60 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more [source: Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2007-08]. In Scotland only three per cent of GDP is generated by the traditional three Fs of the rural economy – fishing, forestry and farming. Eight per cent is generated by tourism. In some areas of rural Scotland today, tourism is the economy. The attitudes towards rural heritage need to change to reflect this. Large parts of the Highlands and Islands are dominated by a land tenure system known as crofting. Crofting has often been described as a small area of land surrounded by legislation. A croft is a small and usually tenanted land-holding, and is protected by The Crofters’ Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886. Since 1973, crofters have been entitled to purchase their crofts, but most remain tenanted. Today, crofting as an agricultural activity is less and less viable, but it remains an important part of the social and cultural landscape. This background is crucial in understanding the architectural and heritage characteristics of rural Scotland. These very characteristics require their own special approaches to conservation practices which differ from those seen in the urban core of Scotland. The pattern of building has largely been determined by use of land, and the availability of skills and materials on a local level.This results in particularly iconic structures, such as the tigh dubh or blackhouses on the western and northern seaboards. Building conservation in rural Scotland has a number of distinct issues. Remoteness can add significantly to building costs (up to 25 to 30 per cent, or even more depending on the scale and nature of the works). If you think getting a skilled slater or a stonemason versed in conservation practice is hard where you live, try the north-west Highlands. Much of Scotland is dominated by large estates, the result of changes in land use from subsistence An abandoned farmhouse in Cairngorms National Park
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