Religious Buildings Research Questions
- To what extent did the design of places of worship in South East Scotland follow wider national and international trends?
- How significant was denominational identity in shaping the layout and appearance of church buildings?
- How were older church buildings adapted to serve the needs of modern congregations?
- In what ways did church interiors change during the modern period? How did the design of pulpits, communion tables, seating arrangements, and memorials evolve over time?
- To what extent was there a shift away from plans which prioritised preaching?
- In what ways did the design of urban and rural churches differ?
- How much difference was there in the appearance and layout of churches in rich and poor areas?
- How did the surroundings of churches change during the modern period?
- What can we find out about private chapels?
- What can we learn about prefabricated religious buildings (e.g. tin churches)?
- What can we discover about the closure, conversion, and abandonment of churches during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?
- What can we learn about the development and design of non-Christian places of worship?
Wider Religious Landscapes Research Questions
- What can we discover about religious activities in settings other than formal places of worship?
- What can we learn about halls, missions, schools, and other buildings and institutions sponsored by religious groups?
- What can we learn about the housing of ministers and other clergy?
- To what extent could religious images and mottos be seen in seemingly secular settings (e.g. civic buildings)?
Death and Burial Research Questions
- How did customs surrounding the treatment of the dead change over the modern period?
- To what extent did funerary monuments conform to national / international trends? Were there specific local / regional variations?
- Do funerary monuments in the region become increasingly standardised?
- What can we learn about the development of cremation in the region?
- What can we find out about non-Christian burials in the region? How do non-Christian and Christian burial patterns compare?