The Scottish Civic Trust's Buildings at Risk Service was established in January 1990 to replace that formerly operated by the Historic Buildings Bureau from New St Andrew's House, Edinburgh. Using resources generously supplied by the Scottish Office Environment Department/Historic Scotland, and based at our office in Glasgow, the project has involved setting up a Buildings at Risk Register founded on a computer database, on which is stored information about any historic building in Scotland known to be at risk from neglect or difficulty in maintenance and disposal by normal commercial means. Over 1,000 records have now been compiled, they are regularly updated, and the register continues to grow. Most building types are represented and include Castles, mansions, tower houses, churches, schools, industrial buildings, agricultural buildings, town houses and country cottages.
Its principal function is to publicise the existence and, where appropriate, the availability of these 'awkward' structures more widely and thoroughly than hitherto. Free computer printouts, tailored to suit specific inquiries, are available on request, and an illustrated Bulletin with twice yearly updates containing a selection of material from the Register will be sent to anyone who puts their name on our mailing list. Already the Buildings at Risk Service is successfully demonstrating its value in marrying up potential restorers with buildings in need of rescue. The data is valuable in a number of the useful ways, such as enabling particular problem areas to be pinpointed, or monitoring buildings in the 'high risk' category. The service also offers advice on sources of grant aid and other possible economic assistance, a subject dealt with in our publication "Sources of Financial Help for Scotland's Historic Buildings", available on request from this office.
In order to ensure a comprehensive survey of the whole country, we have established personal contact with every planning authority, with whose co-operation much of the information is gathered and updated. We are also reliant on many other contacts and sources of information, and hope that any member of the public who is concerned about a building at risk will contact us if they think that we might not know about it.