The Little Houses Improvement Scheme (LHIS) was launched in 1960 with a premise ‘to restore houses of character for re-sale’ across Scotland. Essentially, the LHIS buys neglected or dilapidated historic buildings, then restores and sells them on in order to promote their regeneration and renewal as well as the communities in which they are situated.

The introduction of the scheme was a natural progression from the pioneering restoration projects that the National Trust for Scotland had been embarking on across several historic burghs throughout Scotland since the early 1930s. Since the creation of the scheme, the LHIS has been internationally recognised as a pioneer and inspiration to other comparable building preservation initiatives across the UK.

Without the intervention of the LHIS, many historic and beautiful small dwellings dating from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, as well as the character of many historic burghs, would not have survived the modernisations of the 20th century which saw the wholesale destruction of much of Scotland’s historic built environment. The list of restorations and developments that have been part of the LHIS over the past fifty years is long. Here are a couple of the most interesting and successful achievements of the LHIS to date:

For more information about similar schemes across the UK, visit the website of the Association of Preservation Trusts.

The Study, Culross