Colin McWilliam

Colin McWilliam (1928–1989) was a Scottish architecture academic and author.

Career

Born in London, he graduated from the University of Cambridge and became Director of the Scottish National Buildings Record, then the Assistant Secretary of the National Trust for Scotland. He also directed architectural history and conservation at Heriot-Watt University. He was a founder of the Dictionary of Scottish Architects Project,^[1] and was instrumental in setting up the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland.^[2]

In the 1970s he was approached by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner who, having completed the The Buildings of England series, was keen to extend the project to cover the rest of the UK. McWilliam went on to co-write two volumes in The Buildings of Scotland series and became the project's editor.

He designed a desk and a bookcase incorporating copies of a portrait medallion of Robert Adam by James Tassie, for the Cabinet Room in Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland.

Colin McWilliam is commemorated on a plaque in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. He was the father of the author Candia McWilliam.

Publications

• Culross: A Short Guide (1962)
• Scottish Townscape (1975)
• Lothian, except Edinburgh. Buildings of Scotland. (1978)
• Edinburgh. Buildings of Scotland. (1984) (with David Walker and John Gifford)

References

1. ^ "The History of the Dictionary of Scottish Architects Project". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/background.php. 
2. ^ Robertson, Eleanor (1997). "The Story of the Society". Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. http://www.ahss.org.uk/file_download/4/The+Story+of+the+Society.pdf. 

External links

• Dictionary of Scottish Architects Project
• Pevsner Architectural Guides

Persondata
Name	Macwilliam, Colin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1928
Place of birth
Date of death	1989
Place of death