Emerson heads for the sun

17 Dec 2004

Richard Emerson, Chief Inspector of Historic Buildings at Historic Scotland since 1999, has stepped down from his position and will be moving to the south of France. The Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments departments will now be amalgamated and managed by one chief inspector and a deputy. Historic Scotland is currently in the process of assessing both internal and external applications for both posts.

Emerson welcomed the changes as the new head would have direct access to ministers in a way he had not. He said: “I think the amalgamation will shake things up a bit. Nobody likes change and there will be a bit of bruising, but I am upbeat and optimistic that in the end, the result will be for the better. There will be more of an overlap of skills and a cross-fertilisation between those that deal with ruins and those that deal with buildings that people live and work in.”

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