'The Great Houses' featured in this book reveal Scots architecture in its grandest forms. The specially commissioned photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes include stunning close-ups of architectural details and objects, and capture the spirit and style of the houses while Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd's refreshingly personal and informal text is as much about the families, who in many cases still live in these fascinating places, as about the architecture and decoration. This work carries a personal selection of twenty-six houses that reflect the development of style in Scotland, from old tower houses such as Cawdor through Baroque masterpieces like Drumlanrig and the pioneering Classicism of Kinross right up to the Edwardian opulence of Manderston and Ardkinglas.