About Us

Buildings and industrial surveys

As well having a statutory duty to record certain threatened buildings, we survey Scotland’s industrial sites and architecture.

We record many aspects of Scotland’s built heritage, including:

  • threatened buildings
  • listed buildings
  • industrial sites
  • architecture by area
  • architecture by theme

Threatened Buildings Surveys

Historic Environment Scotland has a statutory duty to record listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas that have been granted permission for demolition (or part-demolition) works.

Find out more about the Threatened Buildings Survey programme.

Industrial surveys

We record the wide range of structures and processes relating to Scotland’s industrial development such as:

  • railways
  • explosives factories
  • papermaking plants
  • sand extraction plants
  • textile mills
  • water supply systems

New survey material adds to our existing collections of:

  • historic photographs
  • trade catalogues
  • specialist reports
  • drawings
  • copies of privately owned industrial collections

Recent industrial surveys have focused on:

Thematic surveys

Our thematic approach focuses on particular architects, building periods or types such as:

  • schools
  • entertainment venues
  • listed buildings
  • post-1945 architecture
  • defence structures from both World Wars and the following Cold War period

Find out about all of our records by visiting the online catalogue of Scotland’s historic environment. Search Canmore now.

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