A history of the quantity surveying profession in Scotland to the late-twentieth century, with special reference to John Dansken & Purdie, chartered quantity surveyors

Having reviewed the early development of quantity surveying, the research proceeded in a chronological manner to 1995. The periods were defined by important change points in history or seminal moments in the profession. The core chapters are structured to explore developments within the quantity surveying profession and in professional practice. Reliance was placed upon the primary sources of the Minute Books of the relevant Scottish quantity surveying institutions and the archives of a firm of quantity surveyors. The many reports into the construction industry during the period were examined and their impact on the quantity surveying profession assessed. Only two of those studied were found to have had any major influence at all, although one of these was the catalyst of major change. The case-study method was employed to research the activities of John Dansken & Purdie, Chartered Quantity Surveyors, founded in 1858. Their financial and project records proved a rich source of information on the development of the profession until the end of the period. The research concluded that quantity surveying was indeed a profession, that in Scotland it had a recognised national identity until 1965 after which it was almost totally anglicised, that it developed in a similar manner to other professions over time, and that its fortunes were inextricably linked to those of the construction industry and the economy as a whole.