Rockville: James Gowans’ ‘Romantic Rationalist’ Masterpiece
Monday 10th March 2025
The Merchiston Pagoda, Tottering Towers, Crazy Manor, Sugar Loaf House – call it what you may, Rockville was one of the most notable buildings in Victorian Edinburgh and indeed Scotland. Andy Arthur looks at the history of this remarkable building and its builder, James Gowans, and shows how Rockville’s ornate, Gothic form hid a formulaic, rationalist approach to architecture that has much in common with the ideas of Le Corbusier.
6.30pm at Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL (wheelchair accessible)
Note: Lectures will also be streamed online via Zoom
Tickets available from Eventbrite or on the door: £6 / students £2