Lectures
The Society holds an annual lecture on a topic associated with James MacLaren's work, his influences and those he influenced. A summary of the previous speakers and their talks is given here.
Most recent lecture
Rachel Elliott M.Arch, a conservation architect who studied at the Mackintosh School of Architecture in Glasgow and has a Masters in Building History from the University of Cambridge, presented a short talk on the Glenlyon Farmhouse, with a photographic virtual tour and presentation of some of the findings at the most recent AGM.
Glenlyon House and estate, including the Farmhouse has recently been sold to Discovery Land Company (DLC) DLC is the company carrying out a major development of the Taymouth Castle estate at Kenmore. In relation to the Glenlyon Estate they indicate that they intend this to remain a sporting estate.
The James M MacLaren Society has been monitoring the planning applications being lodged with Perth & Kinross Council in relation to Glenlyon House and estate.
Previous lectures
2018 Lecture
The talk after the 2018 AGM of the James M MacLaren Society on 1st June was given by Mary Miers, historian, writer, and the fine arts and books editor at Country Life.
2017 Lecture
A fascinating talk by Ian Muir entitled "Arts and Crafts Architecture for the 21st Century?" This talk showed us how arts and crafts principles had unknowingly inspired houses he has recently designed. The text and illustrations from this talk appear in Volume 16 of the Journal (2018).
2015 Lecture
The speaker at our 2015 AGM was the landscape architect Christopher Dingwall talking on "A Hall of Mirrors: Reflections on the Iconography of the Dunkeld Hermitage"
2014 Lecture
In 2014 Annette Carruthers talked on the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland. Annette Carruthers is a senior lecturer in the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews and is the author of "The Arts and Crafts Movement in Scotland: A History" published by Yale University Press in 2013.
2013 Lecture
In 2013 Dr Elizabeth Cumming gave a fascinating illustrated talk on Arts and Crafts design in Scotland "Tradition and Modernity" showing how those two were combined creatively. Dr Cumming is an independent art historian, curator, and an Honorary Fellow (History of Art) at the University of Edinburgh.
2012 Lecture
The speaker for the 2012 Annual Lecture was Dr Lindsay Lennie, the leading Scottish expert on historic shop conservation whose book on Historic Shopfronts is published by Historic Scotland.
2011 Lecture
Members enjoyed an evening with Malcolm Appleby, local silversmith with an international reputation, who demonstrated his craft and talked on topics suggested by the audience.
2010 Lecture
Kathleen MacLeman gave a talk on Rosehaugh, built in the Black Isle by William Flockhart.
2009 Lecture
The 2009 talk was by Professor John McKean of the University of Brighton entitled "The Curious Case of the Architect who Vanished in the Night-time, or Who Was C R Mackintosh?".
2008 Lecture
The 2008 lecture was given by Simon Green of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.
2007 Lecture
The 2007 lecture was by Professor Charles McKean, Professor of Scottish Architectural History at Dundee University.
2005 Lecture
The first lecture of the Society was presented by Dr Deborah Mays, then Principal Inspector at
Historic Scotland, on arts and crafts architecture in Scotland.
