Keeping history alive

THE sale of Lamb's House, a 16th-century Leith landmark that has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland for 52 years, is a sign of the times. Not too long ago our idea of built heritage was almost solely tied up with the palaces and fine homes of the aristocracy and the wealthy. These days a more egalitarian view pertains, when a fine Victorian tenement or a proud Clydeside crane can be as much valued as a grand stately home.

So perhaps we should not be too concerned at the NTS's decision to sell Lamb's House to a private buyer for 1 million-plus. The buyer, after all, is Nick Groves-Raines, a renowned conservation architect who one assumes can be relied upon to retain the building's most striking features, and perhaps even restore it to something more akin to its former glory as the finest house in Leith.

Lamb's House came into the NTS's care after it fell into disrepair and was bought by the public-minded Marquess of Bute. The NTS's decision to sell off properties – to help repair the organisation's stricken finances – has come under fire. But modern-day economics dictate that not all the buildings held in trust for the nation can be preserved in aspic as dusty museum pieces. In fact, that is probably not the best way. Edinburgh's built heritage is renowned today because it is a living, functioning city centre. Obviously there needs to be great care, but the best way to breathe new life into historic buildings is to put life back in them. We need more like Nick Groves-Raines.