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In the Footsteps of...Robert Adam

23/07/2008

BBC Radio Scotland - In the Footsteps of...Robert Adam

Architect Robert Adam follows in the footsteps of his remarkable 18th century namesake.

21st century architect Robert Adam follows in the footsteps of his remarkable 18th century namesake, who inspired much of Edinburgh's New Town.

Resources:
General Register House (1774) is one of oldest archive buildings in the world that is still being used for its original purpose. Robert Adam’s masterpiece has been refurbished to create a magnificent location for the new family history facilities of the ScotlandsPeople Centre. The works included restoration of the fine plasterwork of the dome at the heart of Adam’s building. The Centre was formally opened by the Queen on 4 July, and public service will begin on 25 August 2008. This will allow easy searching of the main records from the General Register Office for Scotland, and the wills held by the National Archives of Scotland. Access to the wide range of historical records held by NAS continues as usual in the Historical Search Room in Register House. 

Links:
NAS: www.nas.gov.uk
ScotlandsPeople Centre information: www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk
ScotlandsPeople online searching: www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

http://sites.scran.ac.uk/ada/documents/adam_r.htm
The architectural website SCRAN, with a link to the Robert Adam material, which includes photos galore, drawings, and models as well as tons of info on Adam and his work.

This site brings together a growing body of digitised information about Adam, including photographs, scans of original drawings and computer reconstructions. 

It includes essays that follow themes in Adam's work, as well as a growing number of studies of individual buildings. 

The studies are of buildings that were designed and built during Adam's lifetime, buildings that were constructed but which were in the process or subsequently modified, buildings that are now destroyed or in ruins, and designs for buildings that only ever existed on paper. 

Many of the unbuilt and destroyed designs by Adam are largely unknown, but they are none-the-less great works of architecture which computer visualisation techniques allow us now to appreciate more fully.

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In the Footsteps of...Robert Adam

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