The Scotsman

Scotland makes much of its built heritage, from castles and country houses to industrial architecture and vernacular cottages. However, those concerned with conserving this rich architectural legacy are warning that unless something is done to stem a decline in the building and craft skills needed to maintain these properties, we could have a conservation crisis on our hands. What happens if there is no-one left who knows how to properly harl a wall, slate a roof or perform the kind of joinery once commonplace in building construction? Already some local authorities have had to look abroad for the requisite skills (Aberdeen recently employed tradesmen from eastern Europe to lay cobbles), reflecting a wider shortage of skilled tradesmen in the construction industry at large, and while the threatened demolition of a historic property may make headlines and TV documentaries, it is the insidious, ongoing lack of repair, or the misrepair of buildings, that is storing up difficulties for the future.