Building Scotland - Lime

Scotland has a significant history of masonary construction. The earliest buildings were drystane structures, which gradually evolved into earth-cored walls.The Romans brought sophisticated masonry construction and lime technology to Scotland during their occupation of the British Isles, but it is probable that the use of lime in building had evolved prior to the Roman arrival, as it had in every part of the world where limestone was an abundant material.Remnants of the Romans’ great ingenuity in using building limes in a wide variety of application, from aqueducts to baths and mass wall construction, can be found in Scotland, such as at the site of the Roman Baths at Bearsden near Glasgow.Later, the great castles and cathedrals employed building limes as a crucial component of their construction and finishing material.Lime mortars developed not only as the core building medium, but also into sophisticated plaster finishes for internal and external use.

Lime has been used as a traditional building material throughout the world, and in Scotland evidence of its use stretches back almost 2,000 years.