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Tag: vernacular

A person with a cap and jacket, standing outside, holding a large pile of thatching material over their shoulder
Skills

How I became a Scottish thatcher

Tuesday 28 October 2025

Meet Troy Holt to discover how he found his way into thatching, what skills he has learned and why he is passionate about this critically endangered traditional craft skill.

A group of people in high-visibility vests, working with hand tools on different projects in the grounds of an old brick and stone building.
Skills

An Insider’s Guide to the SPAB William Morris Craft Fellowship

Friday 23 August 2024

Jack Buchanan, stonemason and Assistant Works Manager at HES Dumbarton Castle Depot, shares a glimpse into his experience as a SPAB Fellow.

A woven wood roundhouse with a large open doorway. There is a head-height stone wall running around the outside as if enclosing it, with other traditional buildings in the background.
Vernacular and earth building

Discover four key traditional building skills at the Scottish Crannog Centre’s Iron Age Village

Monday 10 June 2024

Before the relaunch of the Scottish Crannog Centre's Iron Age Village, we visited Loch Tay to meet our work party of Craft Fellows, who used traditional building skills alongside the centre’s staff to create the village.

Scaffolding up at a historic thatched building in the countryside
Vernacular and earth building

What can builders of the past teach us about sustainable building methods?

Monday 19 February 2024

At its core, vernacular building is about local knowledge and local materials. Our Vernacular Buildings Craft Fellow, Ross, shares his experience of working on vernacular buildings across Scotland and explains how they could help modern building practices become more sustainable.

A small, thatched roof hut in the countyside. The hut is made from earth and has a large, rectangular opening for a door.
Skills

Grassroots hutting: an architecture borrowed from the soil

Wednesday 24 January 2024

How can local materials and ancient skills help us with sustainable building practices for the modern age? That's a question we've explored on a recent project to construct a traditional turf hut near Comrie, Perthshire.

Thank you

The Engine Shed is accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and National Open College Network (NOCN). The Engine Shed was supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to share knowledge of traditional building materials, develop skills and raise standards in conservation for traditional buildings.

  • Heritage Lottery Fund

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Historic Environment Scotland is the lead public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment.

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