We hold a series of records known as the Register House Plans (RHP). It is an artificial collection of around 170,000 topographical plans, marine charts, architectural and engineering drawings (for convenience, the term 'plan' will be used to refer to all categories). Owing to their size and varied formats, plans require special storage conditions. It was therefore decided in the 1960s that plans should be removed from their collections and added to the RHP series, with a cross-reference back to the parent collection. This policy was not always rigorously adhered to, however, and it is still possible to find smaller plans in their original files or bundles.
The plans collection is a very diverse one. Since we are the official archive for a host of governmental and quasi-governmental bodies in Scotland, the series includes plans from government departments and agencies, nationalised industries, and the courts, as well as churches, private organisations, landed estates and families. Most of the manuscript plans are unique, while many of the engraved and lithographed plans have only survived in limited quantities. The collection also includes a number of photo reproductions of original plans which are either in private hands or held by other institutions.
The vast majority of the plans are topographical in nature, and we have the largest collection of original maps and plans of Scotland. Most date from 1750 or later, as cartography in Scotland only began to flourish during the 18th century under the influence of agricultural improvement, when landowners employed surveyors to map their estates.
We welcome gifts of plans or other documents recording the history of Scotland, the land and its peoples. If you have records you are considering depositing please contact us or read our maps and plans policy and statement of principles on the selection and acquisition of maps, plans, architectural and technical drawings.
- estate plans - farms, runrigs, improved estates, feuing plans, quarries, saltpans and commonties
- transport - railways, roads, bridges, canals and harbours and tramways
- architectural - churches, schools, public buildings, private houses, railway stations, farm buildings and mills
- public utilities - electricity, gas and water
- engineering - technical plans of mining and shipbuilding
- vignettes showing agricultural scenes, people at work, buildings and ships.
