Seventeenth and eighteenth century timber roof structures in Scotland: design, pathologies and conservation

17C and 18C Scottish built heritage has not been sufficiently researched, despite its importance in both quality and quantity. Most scholars tend to investigate the external architectural composition of these buildings rather than their overall constructional configuration. In particular, timber roof structures are very rarely considered even though the integrity of the overall building depends largely on them. This lack of knowledge hinders good conservation practice. This paper aims to increase awareness about the extent, nature, value and condition of historic timber roofs in Scotland in order to understand what their conservation needs are. Preliminary results obtained from the creation of a relational database of 1520 buildings, related mapping, survey of 56 buildings of the period across Scotland and historical/archival research, are discussed. This has allowed for an initial understanding of the different structural types of Scottish timber roofs of the period as well as their pathologies.