Old Ways New Roads draws on the output of key travellers – from soldiers, surveyors and scholars to artists, writers and leisure tourists – to consider the connections between the military occupation of 18th-century Scotland and the beginning of modern tourism.
The text discusses how travellers experienced Scotland in the 18th century through four key themes: ‘Natural History’, ‘Antiquities’, ‘Custom and Improvement’ and ‘Literary Landscapes and Picturesque Prospects’.
During this period, Scotland was marked by Jacobite uprisings and efforts by the British government to pacify the Highlands through road and bridge-building. This infrastructure aimed to connect previously inaccessible areas, transforming the perception and experience of Scotland.
The profits from Britain’s growing maritime empire, including the transatlantic slave economy, also played a role in reshaping Scotland. Travelers’ accounts provide a rich and complex picture of 18th-century Scotland and its global significance.
Illustrated with over 200 artworks from public and private collections, the publication explores how from 1725 onwards, the Scottish landscape was variously documented, evaluated, planned and imagined in words and images.
The book provides a fascinating insight into the experience of travellers and tourists, it also considers how they impacted on the experience of the Scottish people themselves.
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