Building Modern Scotland: A Social and Architectural History of the New Towns, 1947–1997

— —

Alistair Fair (University of Edinburgh, UK) Lynn Abrams (University of Glasgow, UK)

Building Modern Scotland

A Social and Architectural History of the New Towns, 1947–1997

Alistair Fair (University of Edinburgh, UK), Lynn Abrams (University of Glasgow, UK), Kat Breen (University of Edinburgh, UK) , Miles Glendinning (University of Edinburgh, UK)

$170

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Bloomsbury Visual Arts
20 March 2025

History of architecture; British & Irish history; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000; Social & cultural history

Combining architectural and social history, this open access book tells for the first time the in-depth story of Scotland’s new towns.

One of the most significant episodes in modern architectural, urban and social history, Scotland’s postwar new towns offered new housing, new ways of life and new jobs. Begun between the late 1940s and the late 1960s, the new towns – East Kilbride, Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston and Irvine – were a key element of the planned Welfare State, attracting international attention and widespread publicity. These were places of architectural innovation, and economic and social change.

Building Modern Scotland tells a new history of the new towns, combining architectural and social history to illustrate what was planned, what was built, and how these places were experienced by the communities who lived and worked in them. It positions the new towns at the heart of modern Scottish history, showing how they represented an ambition to make a modern, transformed nation. The book surveys each new town’s planning and design before turning to key topics such as housing, family life, work and opportunity, and community.

Drawing on archives and oral history, the book will appeal to historians of modern architecture and design as well as readers interested in modern social history. It provides a new account of modern Scotland, its buildings, places and people, and argues that a better understanding of the new towns’ history and value should inform present-day decision-making.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

By: Alistair Fair (University of Edinburgh UK), Lynn Abrams (University of Glasgow, UK), Kat Breen (University of Edinburgh, UK), Miles Glendinning (University of Edinburgh, UK), Diane Watters (Historic Environment Scotland)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 188mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 820g
ISBN: 9781350401709
ISBN 10: 1350401706
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 20 March 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface: Note on Authorship About the Authors Acknowledgements Introduction Part 1: Architecture 1. East Kilbride 2. Glenrothes 3. Cumbernauld 4. Livingston 5. Irvine Part 2: Life 6. Homes 7. Families 8. Community 9. Opportunity Conclusion: ‘Out of the Ordinary’ Interviewees Bibliography of Published Sources

Alistair Fair is Reader in Architectural History at the University of Edinburgh. Lynn Abrams is Professor of Modern History at the University of Glasgow. Kat Breen is a tutor in Architectural History and Heritage at the University of Edinburgh. Miles Glendinning is Professor of Architectural Conservation at the University of Edinburgh. Diane Watters is an historian and author at Historic Environment Scotland. Valerie Wright is Lecturer in Modern Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh.

Reviews for Building Modern Scotland: A Social and Architectural History of the New Towns, 1947–1997

Building Modern Scotland represents the best kind of urban history. Thematically ambitious, yet grounded in time and place, this book places Scottish new towns into broader conversations about modernization, the built environment, lived experience, and a dynamic welfare state. * Guy Ortolano, Professor and Chair of History, New York University, USA * Packed with insight, beautifully illustrated, and based on the most exacting scholarship, this will be required reading for anyone interested in the history of modern Scotland. More than that, it begs important questions about the present and the future too. * William Whyte, Professor of Social and Architectural History, University of Oxford, UK *