LAUSR

a particular time period from 1895 to today. Within each section the author carefully selected plan drawings and elevations from the archives to give the reader a sense of the ambition of some of these schemes. She carefully researched the stories behind the buildings, including the bureaucratic complexities architects had to deal to realise their proposed design visions. Grainger not only documents the local settings of each crematoria but also reveals their inner, more technical parts too. There is an aesthetic to mechanical aspects of cremation that could have been emphasised more by photography, as this is something that is not often shown. This book is so much needed to better understand the broader history of crematoria design and the diverse approach across the UK. Grainger reveals what sets apart Scottish crematoria to the Welsh and English ones. Architects played a more prominent role from the outset. Post WWII designs, particularly Edinburgh and Glasgow showed vision in commissioning architects such as Basil Spence and Thomas Cordiner to build flagship crematoria. Another distinctive character is not only about the architecture and design but also the collaboration with Scottish artists and craftsmen. The materials, the approach to design, the arrangement of the interior spaces. What ultimately emerges from this unique book is a strong identity of the both visions, research, experimentation in Scotland on crematoria design. For example, in some cases some of the crematoria were inserted in existing cemeteries, in other cases they were entirely new buildings and landscapes, in other cases they were located in existing buildings that were carefully reconfigured to suit their new function. Grainger’s engaging language makes this publication a must read, not only for architects and historians but a wider audience too, as through crematoria design, readers can better understand what shaped the Scottish approach to cultural context. In my view, what ultimately Grainger makes me reflect upon, is the missing presence of women in the design and architecture of crematoria. Their perceptive and intuitive holistic approach and creative visions would have contributed outstandingly to the history of Scottish crematoria.