Scotland is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and this book captures the beautify of its abandoned places. While the book does cover the expected places like castles and churches, it also includes more modern buildings and locations. The photos are all in color with brief captions. I did recognize a couple of the places from episodes of Outlander. This would make a wonderful coffee table book.

Abandoned Scotland is a gorgeous coffee-table book. It is filled with magnificent photography featuring abandoned buildings throughout Scotland. It will appeal to anyone interested in exploring the hidden secrets of the country. Holidaymakers and locals alike will learn much about the history of their surroundings. The images are grouped in chapters according to the original purpose of the buildings, from castles to brickworks, and from 20th century military emplacements to shipwrecks and lighthouses.
Alongside each photograph is a caption explaining what the site was and the reason it was abandoned. The romance of abandoned mansions and castles is immediately apparent, but there are also surprising revelations about places that people might walk past every day. For example, the concrete terraces in Cathkin Park, Glasgow, which are all that remains of the original Hampden Park football ground.
In some places the reason the buildings were abandoned is that residents were torn away, perhaps by war or the notorious clearances. Elsewhere, the owners of industrial buildings were beset by financial problems and their businesses foundered. The people left; the buildings fell into disuse and disrepair. The text is brief, but there’s enough to provoke the imagination. How did the people feel who had to leave their communities? Who were the people who laboured to build communities in inhospitable corners of the nation? What became of the workers when their employer went bust?
Abandoned Scotland is a book that is either a glossy photographic record of the beauty of dereliction in Scotland or a kicking off point for further research, depending on your inclination. Either way, it’s fascinating record of a resilient and creative nation.

In this haunting 224-page photography book, journalist Alastair Horne offers 180 intriguing photographs of ruins and other abandoned sites around Scotland. Each location typically gets a photograph or two along with a brief informative caption.

There are no maps and you won’t learn much detail about any of the sites, but the photos are a wonderful way for armchair travelers to explore Scotland. If a photograph catches your interest, you can always research that location further. Some of these photographs certainly piqued my curiosity and made me long to see these places in person.

At 8.35 by 10.87 inches (slightly smaller than a letter-sized sheet of paper), this attractive hardcover book is smaller than I would prefer, but it would still make a wonderful gift or be an interesting addition to your coffee table. Most of the text appears in photo captions, so be aware that the font is small.

Thanks to Amber Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Another book full of gorgeous images that made me travel to less known places in Scotland.
Well done, perfect in paper
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The photographs are some of my favorite I have seen in books like this. The lighting and composition is perfect. It makes me wish I was closer because I would love to see them in person. I expected to see castles, but I was surprised and so excited to see other structures also. It is organized by type and I really enjoyed the information and photos.

5 stars

Abandoned buildings have always been alluring to me so when I seen this book on NetGalley, it immediately peaked my interest. This book did not disappoint! It has beautiful photos of various abandoned buildings in Scotland and as someone who has never been to Scotland and honestly didn't know very much about Scotland, I found this book to be really informative. This book has a wide variety of places shown including castles, businesses, houses, religious places and military buildings. This would be a great coffee table book and a great conversation starter. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys history, photography, nature (there are beautiful photos of the plants that have claimed some of the buildings) or anyone who has an interest in abandoned buildings. This was a really cool book! Special Thank You to Alastair Horne, Amber Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this title for review because #1) I love reading and looking at pictures of abandoned places such as shopping malls, farm houses, etc. and #2) I have visited Scotland a couple of times (specifically Edinburgh and The Highlands) and was curious to see if any of the castles I had seen were in the book (two were!).

I enjoyed reading this book so much and ended up racing through it because I loved the pictures so much. The pictures are gorgeous – great resolution and they really evoke the wildness and history of Scotland. Even if you are not a fan of looking at these types of books, if this was left in a waiting room or and you had time to kill, I believe most people would pick this book up and time would fly by while they flipped through it.

This would make a great gift for anyone interested in Scotland and/or abandoned places and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a book along this line.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amber Books for a copy.

A beautiful book full of incredible photos of every type of abandoned building in Scotland, from castles to factories. Wonderful to pore over and drink in the scenery and atmosphere of Scotland. Highly recommend.

What a fantastic book! I absolutely loved every bit of it. From castles to more modern abandoned areas, this book is full of great information, and stunning photos. If you want to get a better idea of abandoned places in Scotland, and some of the history behind it, then you need to read this!

The photos are some of the most clear I have ever seen.

Abandoned Scotland
Posted on September 13, 2023 by Jack

I liked it but it is very different than anything I had reviewed previously so I am a bit unsure of how of proceed. So I’ll get the easy part out of the way first and them added a short bit on what I thought about the book.

The book is “Abandoned Scotland” by Alastair Horne. I thank Netgalley and Amber Books for allowing me to read the book before publication.

It is a book of photographs. Fine photography with some text describing what pictured and a bit about it. The photographs are organized into general categories (Religious places. Military sites, etc.).

I looked at an electronic copy and enjoyed the variety and quality of the photography. I think the serious photographer would enjoy this much more or at least in a different way but I don’t know if an electronic or hardback would be better.

It would also appeal to those who just enjoy a nicely done photography book of old, abandoned, and often beautiful sites in Scotland.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

I loved this book! The photos were absolutely amazing--high-res, high-quality, and covering a ton of topics. Horne did a brilliant job at compiling them by topic and encompassing all of Scotland, not focusing too heavily (I thought) on any one locale.

I geeked out a bit on those in places I've visited (Edinburgh; St. Andrews), even if I hadn't visited a specific location itself (Holyrood), and appreciated the short captions accompanying each picture. The text was just enough to whet the appetite and prompt me to research places that struck my fancy. I did catch myself asking "why" a lot--why something fell into disrepair, or wasn't even used much before it was quitted--and it'll be interesting to further investigate.

No matter your interest, there's something for everyone here, with country, urban/city, military, religious, and more included. Truly a beautiful compilation.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Scotland is one of my favourite countries to visit, so evocative and beguiling! Abandoned Scotland by Alastair Horne combines the natural beauty of Scotland with the treasures and intrigue of abandoned castles, industrial and urban sites, rural cottages and crofts, religious places and military sites. If you've ever contemplated visiting Scotland, you will make it your mission after poring over the glorious 180 photographs in this spellbinding book.

What can be more fascinating than visiting castle ruins? I've had the pleasure of wandering around many highlighted here including Dunalastair House, lonely atmospheric Castle Stalker, uniquely-shaped Caerlaverock Castle, Dunnottar Castle (those views!) and Hermitage Castle with its grim history. Learn more about abandoned brickworks, water mills, marble quarries, mines, hospitals and shellfish factories. I did not realize there are still 20,000 crofts, many abandoned and some repurposed. Melrose Abbey, Elgin Cathedral and Crawford Priory are a pleasure to visit. There are pillboxes, midget submarines and tank traps. But so much more. Talk about variety!

Whether medieval history or more recent history appeals to you, don't miss this. It is a coffee table book worth ogling over and over again. It will be a handy guide when planning our next Scotland trip. The more I discover about it the more I realize there is to learn. This small country really packs a powerful punch!

My sincere thank you to Amber Books Ltd. and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this magnificent book.

A great coffee table addition. Beautiful photos of a time long past. Everything from castles to churches to shipwrecks, Beautiful scenery and small history lessons on each location giving you a taste of Scotland past, an absolute must see for history buffs and explorers of ruins.

I received a free copy of, Abandoned Scotland, by Alastair Home, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. i have always been fascinated with Scotland. This book has beautiful pictures of abandoned places in Scotland, buildings, castles, pools, galleries, cottages, churches, and much more in urban and rural settings. I really enjoyed reading this book, the pictures are amazing.

A final nod to places long abandoned and forgotten throughout Scotland. I kept thinking of all the stories lost and untold as I flipped through the pages. I enjoyed seeing the various regions and landscapes, a subtle reminder that time leaves no stone unturned. There are short notes for each of the photos to provide a description and brief history. The pictures are stunning and capture the spirit of the location.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely own, freely given.

Scotland has always been on my bucket list. And I may have a small (ok big) obsession with abandoned places. The pictures in the book made me want to go to Scotland even more. The pictures are beautiful. I loved the brief descriptions of each place. This book would be a great conversation starter!

The great thing about books like this one is finding unexpected beauty where you really wouldn’t look for it. Here it’s ruins and abandoned buildings - but ruins that go beyond the magnificent ancient castles steeped in the gravitas of centuries. Here the beauty is also found in industrial ruins superimposed on the breathtaking Scottish landscapes, in new life covering industrial wrecks.

It’s the beauty of magnificent desolation.

Divided into five sections based on the type of abandoned buildings, the book explores castles (easily my favorite section), transport and industrial sites, abandoned cottages and crofts, religious places (my second favorite as there’s that castle-like stony magnificence here as well) and military sites.

I can’t help it — the old castle and church ruins are just lovely. Maybe it’s the weight of history, maybe it’s the beauty of architecture in stone, but even ruined silhouettes are arrestingly lovely. Which is much harder to say about the scattered remnants of more industrial nature, with corroded iron and the look that brings to mind not as much the passage of history but rather decay and destruction and disturbing dystopian look of abandoned oil rigs.

The lighthouses on the cliffs, the rugged coastline into which these buildings blend in — love it.

Lovely photos even if the descriptions are a bit short and dry — and overall an hour well-spent.

4 stars.

——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abandoned Scotland contains 180 color photographs of abandoned locations in Scotland. Sections include: Castles, Transport/Urban, Cottages/Crofts, Religious and Military Sites. The Castles is my favorite section and includes structures dating back to the 13th century. I liked the cottages and religious sections as well. Even less favorite sections having interesting photos to view. I appreciate there is some effort to show the structures in various seasons and times of day. Of course brief descriptions are given for the sites history or significance. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd. for the temporary ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Really enjoyed this book. There are some beautiful pictures. Quite a few I new but many I did not. The author has gone to great lengths to gain knowledge and locations for his book. Very interesting