This book recounts the events surrounding the design, construction and eventual occupation of Caldwell House, a mansion to a design by Robert Adam near Uplawmoor in Scotland. Much practical detail is provided. This includes copies of the various versions of Adam’s plans, extracts from correspondence and transcripts of the construction records. These records include the names of the masons and other workers, along with what they were paid and details of activities in each of the three years of the initial building programme.

The untimely death of Baron Mure in 1776 was to cast a long shadow over the project, with the property not being completed and occupied until around 1793. The extent of the Mure’s financial predicament during the intervening period is illustrated through extracts from the financial records. A complete transcription of the 1790 contract for the later internal finishing of the building provides a good indication of what the inside would have looked like at the time immediately prior to occupation.