Treasured Places

To celebrate its centenary in 2008, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) held an online public vote to find Scotland's most treasured places through images from its unique national collection. The images represent places and spaces that are 'treasured' for many reasons, both on a personal and national level, showing different perspectives and views of well-known sites and of Scottish life throughout history. Over 20,000 votes were cast, with a survey drawing of Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange pipping Glasgow School of Art and King's College Aberdeen to the title. The final Top Ten brings together a diverse range of meaningful and enchanting images, from a lithograph of Rosslyn Chapel to a photograph of the excavation of Skara Brae, all of which feature in this full-colour souvenir booklet, along with a specially commissioned poem by Edinburgh Makar, Valerie Gillies, to celebrate the "Treasured Places" winner. The booklet also contains an essay on the history of RCAHMS in its centenary year, detailing 100 years of recording the built environment and explaining its continuing importance and relevance to the people of Scotland today.