INS Summer Course 2026

Following on from the success of the 2025 INS Summer Course, we are delighted to announce that the Summer Course 2026 is now open for registration. The theme of the week-long series of lectures, seminars and field excursions will follow the stories associated with some of Scotland's most iconic buildings.

Scotland’s built heritage encapsulates its complex history and identity. The echoes of those who dwelt in now ruined castles and abbeys have long fired imaginations. However, long before the first cracks appeared in their edifices, the buildings themselves had stories to tell: Sometimes a tale of power and those who wielded it, sometimes a tale of the lives of those over whom power was exerted, sometimes a tale of knowledge and skill passed down through countless generations.

This summer course will explore how the stories of Scotland’s people shaped, and were shaped by, its built heritage from the earliest times to the present day. We will look at how people from all walks of life put something of their own stories into their buildings. We will also ask how the built heritage of Scotland has shaped the stories told by its people.

Throughout the week, we will focus on four themes- each of which has left a major mark on the built and cultural heritage of Scotland:

Kingship and Nobility (Tuesday 16th June 2026)

Lecture: How power was displayed and validated by those who wielded it. A trip to Stirling Castle will explore the stories of power told by this great monument. From medieval fortress to a renaissance palace fit for a patron of the arts and alchemy- the castle has many tales to tell of Scotland’s Kings and Queens, and their courtiers.

Fieldtrip: Stirling Castle.

Faith and Belief (Wednesday 17 June 2026)

Lecture: From simple chapels to ostentatious cathedrals- Scotland’s ecclesiastical buildings attest a multitude of stories: of the lives of early saints and the fabulous deeds attributed to them, of those who venerated them and their hopes and beliefs, and of those who used faith and belief as an instrument of power.

Fieldtrip: Inchcolm. 

From the Intangible to the Tangible: Built Vernacular Heritage (Thursday 18th June 2026)

Seminar: Scotland’s intangible cultural heritage has made an enormous impact on the built heritage of the country. From drystane dykes to thatched cottages- the fruits of generations of knowledge passed down by ordinary people can still be seen in the landscape today. A trip to the Highland Folk Museum will consider the stories told by these monuments. We will also ask what future role these skills might have in the continuing story of Scotland’s heritage.

Fieldtrip: The Highland Folk Museum

Work and Industry (Friday 19th June 2026)

Seminar: The stories told of the lives of ordinary people. How the buildings shaped the culture and traditions of those who worked in them. A trip to Stanley Mills will examine a period of great change in the lives of ordinary people and look at how buildings of industry shaped the cultural heritage of Scotland though stories and songs.

The total fee for the week will be £950. Cost includes 5 nights’ accommodation in single en-suite room, breakfasts and lunches.

To register interest in booking a place or to ask for more details, please email us at ins@uhi.ac.uk

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