誰來接手蘇格蘭設計大師的建築遺產?

From the outside, it looks like a prison. At least that's what some of the well-heeled residents of the Scottish village of Kilmacolm say of Windyhill — and the house does look somewhat austere, with its uncompromising cement and stone exterior.

從外部看起來，它就像座監獄。至少，這是蘇格蘭小村啓馬科姆(Kilmacolm)中一些殷實的居民對“風之丘”(Windyhill)的評價。這棟房子毫不妥協的水泥及石頭外觀，令它看起來確實有點樸實無華。

But the moment a recent Japanese visitor stepped inside, she was overcome with emotion and burst into tears. To her, it was perfection.

但就在最近，當一位日本訪客步入這棟房子的那一刻，她的情緒失控，潸然落淚。對她而言，那就是完美。

Windyhill is one of only two surviving houses built by the architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh — the other is the Hill House in Helensburgh, now a National Trust for Scotland property. Mackintosh was acclaimed throughout Europe in the early 1900s, but his talent was little celebrated in his hometown of Glasgow until long after his death in 1928. He now is considered one of Scotland's most famous designers.

這棟“風之丘”，是建築師、設計師兼藝術家查爾斯·雷尼·麥金託什(Charles Rennie Mackintosh)所建造的房屋當中僅存的兩棟之一。另外一棟是海倫斯堡(Helensburgh)的希爾之家(Hill House)，現屬一處蘇格蘭國民信託財產(National Trust for Scotland property)。麥金託什在20世紀早期即享譽全歐洲，但在他的家鄉格拉斯哥(Glasgow)，直到他於1928年逝世之後的很長一段時間內，其才華都無人喝彩。現在，他被認爲是蘇格蘭最著名的設計師之一。

Windyhill, his only residential design that is still a private home, is for sale at 3 million pounds, or about $5 million.

“風之丘”是他的民宅設計作品中，唯一一處仍被用作私人住宅的建築，現在，它即將以300萬英鎊（約合人民幣3057萬元），或大約5百萬美元的價格出售。

David Cairns, the current owner, said the house had scores of visitors every year, as there is strong interest around the world, particularly in the United States, in Mackintosh's work and the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. He recalled one visitor: "This lady had seen pictures of the house as it was when it was built in 1902, so when she came into the hallway, it seemed to her as if nothing had changed, as if she was stepping into the past."

房子目前的主人大衛·凱恩斯(David Cairns)說，這棟房子每年都會接待大批造訪者，世界各地的人對麥金託什的作品、新藝術(Art Nouveau)和工藝美術運動(Arts and Crafts movements)都有很強的興趣，特別是在美國。他回憶起這樣一位訪客：“這位女士看過這棟房子在1902年剛剛建好時的老照片，所以當她走進門廳時，在她看來一切都沒有改變，就好似她一下踏進了過去一樣。”

The reception hall, almost 11 meters long by 2.7 meters wide, or 36 feet by 8.8 feet, is decorated as Mackintosh specified — he always insisted on controlling the décor within his designs. The original beams are picked out in black, as are the door and window frames, and the fireplace has a black surround flanked by thin tapering columns. It creates a strong contrast with the neutral walls and plain muslin curtains.

那間近乎11米長、2.7米寬的接待大廳裏的裝飾，就好像由麥金託什親自督辦的一樣——他總是堅持將裝飾控制在自己的設計風格之內。原有的橫樑被漆成黑色以突出效果，門框和窗框也如法炮製，壁爐外圍的黑框兩側，也飾以一道道逐漸收斂的細柱。這就同柔和的牆壁和灰白色的棉布窗簾產生了一種強烈的對比效果。

Most of the fittings throughout the house are originals, while the hall furniture and other pieces, including the tables, huge oak sideboards and wicker high-backed chairs, were recreated from Mackintosh's designs and could be included by negotiation in the sale.

房子裏的多數陳設都還是原物，而大廳裏的傢俱和其它諸如餐桌、巨型橡木餐具櫃和柳條編織的高背椅，則是麥金託什設計的複製品。它們經協商也有可能隨房產一起銷售。

William Davidson, a wealthy Glasgow merchant, hired Mackintosh to design the house in 1900. The result was a seven-bedroom mansion with three reception rooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a scullery.

1900年，一位富有的格拉斯哥商人威廉·戴維森(William Davidson)聘請麥金託什設計房子。結果就得到了這棟包含七間臥室、三間會客廳、一間廚房、兩間浴室和一個炊具餐具存放室的宅邸。

Windyhill is considered one of the most important examples of Mackintosh's work and is listed Grade A, the top rating, by Historic Scotland, the government agency charged with protecting the country's heritage.

“風之丘”被認爲是麥金託什作品當中最爲重要的一處範例，被致力於保護境內文化遺產的政府機構“歷史蘇格蘭”(Historic Scotland)列入A級，即最高一級。

Mr. Cairns, who bought the house 12 years ago, said at the time that the interior was "all swagged curtains and thick carpets — so to restore it, I took advice from the Hunterian Museum and the Glasgow School of Art, which are authorities on Mackintosh, and studied the old photographs."

於12年前買下這棟房產的凱恩斯說，那時候房子內部“全是掛着帷幕的窗簾和厚實的地毯——所以，爲了恢復其原貌，我聽從了來自亨特博物館(Hunterian Museum)和格拉斯哥藝術學校(the Glasgow School of Art)的意見，它們都是研究麥金託什的權威；我還研究了房子的老照片。”

"Much of the original fabric, such as the dadoes and woodwork, is still here, but many of the pieces are in the School of Art, so I contacted craftsmen that the museum and the school approved to recreate the lights, the furniture and the fabrics," he said.

“很多諸如護牆板和木製品這樣的原有素材還在原處，但也有很多部件在藝術學校裏，所以我聯繫了博物館和學校認可的工匠，複製了那些燈具、傢俱和裝飾素材。”他說。

Mackintosh designed the Glasgow School of Art, which was damaged in May by a fire that destroyed its library, considered by many to be one of the world's finest examples of Art Nouveau design.

麥金託什設計的格拉斯哥藝術學校，被普遍認爲是世界上最優秀的一處新藝術設計實例。但它在五月時發生了一場火災，圖書館遭到損毀。

A visitor first sees Windyhill through a narrow gate, the rugged harled walls — harling is the very Scottish practice of throwing small stones at cement to create a rough surface — painted gray. The L-shaped house, which totals about 400 square meters, or 4,400 square feet, almost faces away from the road and has simple barred window frames, steeply pitched slate roofs and chimneys at the gable ends. "The windows look small from the outside," said Mr. Cairns, an entrepreneur. "But inside when you switch on the lights, there is an infusion of color. In the dining room, the light plays on the surfaces."

通過一道窄門，來訪者初次見到“風之丘”時，第一眼會看到被塗成灰色的崎嶇泥牆——灰泥塗抹法(harl)是一種非常具有蘇格蘭特色的工藝，就是將小石子投到水泥面上，以製造一種粗糙的表面。這棟總面積爲400平方米的“L”型房屋，幾乎完全背向馬路，帶有柵欄線條簡潔的窗框、陡峭傾斜的板岩房頂和山牆末端的煙囪。“窗戶從外面看起來很小，”身爲企業家的凱恩斯說，“但在房間內部，當你打開燈後，顏色就會注入進來。在餐廳裏，光線會在各種平面上游走。”

Perhaps nothing exemplifies the Mackintosh style more than the lighting fixtures. Square or rectangular, some in groups of four hanging from the ceilings or from the dining room paneling, their black or shiny steel frames are uncompromisingly functional — but several have Art Nouveau swirling floral motifs in a delicate pink that transform them into objects of beauty. (A set of four in the drawing room cost ￡70,000 to recreate.)

也許，沒什麼東西比那些燈具更能體現麥金託什的風格了。這些正方形或長方形的燈具，有的四個一組掛在天花板或餐廳嵌板上，它們那黑色或銀色的框架，透露出毋庸置疑的功用性——不過，其中若干盞上繪有新藝術風格的淺粉色花朵圖案，又將它們轉化爲柔美之物（會客廳裏那組四頭吊燈的複製成本是70000英鎊[約合人民幣713496元]）。

he rooms are minimalist in design, with small touches to bring them alive: leaded glass in a window, a carving on a door and, in the master bedroom, a frieze of pink roses and two long-stemmed green flowers that reach from floor to cornice. Reflecting the designer's typical attention to detail, the latter are in the direct line of sight when anyone looks into the dressing table mirror.

房間的設計奉行了極簡主義，並以一些小細節激發出其中的生氣，比如一扇窗戶上用的含鉛玻璃、一扇門上的一處雕花，以及主臥室裏的一條粉色玫瑰花帶和兩條由地面直抵天花板的長梗綠花裝飾。而綠色花飾的位置，也體現出設計者對於細節的別具匠心。只要有人看向梳妝檯的鏡子，它們就恰位於視線所及之處。

"This is not a house for an accountant," Mr. Cairns said. "This is a stage for art." He has used it to showcase his own collection of modern and contemporary art, including many pieces by the Glasgow Boys, painters from the late 19th century who captured rural life in the region.

“這不是一棟爲一名會計師設計的房子，”凱恩斯說，“這是一座藝術的舞臺。”他一直用這裏展示他自己收藏的現、當代藝術品，包括19世紀末期的畫家團體“格拉斯哥男孩”(the Glasgow Boys)的許多件作品，該團的成員描繪了許多當地鄉村生活的場景。

Not everything in the house is in the Mackintosh style. The kitchen is thoroughly contemporary, with an AGA stove; the bathroom is clad in marble tiles inspired by a shower scene in the 2006 James Bond movie "Casino Royale," and a sound system delivers music into every room.

這棟房子裏也不是所有東西都是麥金託什風格的。廚房是徹底的當代風格，有一座AGA爐竈；浴室覆蓋着大理石磚，其設計靈感源於2006年那部詹姆斯·邦德影片《皇家賭場》(Casino Royale)裏一個淋浴的鏡頭；此外還有一套可在每間房間裏播放音樂的音響系統。

The one-acre site has the original layout of formal shrubs and a lily pond, where Mackintosh is reputed to have been doused after his Santa Claus beard caught fire one Christmas. Beyond the house walls is the valley of the River Gryffe and the low hills of Ayrshire.

這處佔地一英畝（約合0.4公頃）的地塊上，還保留着最初設計裏的正規灌木叢和一方蓮花池，據說有一年聖誕節，當麥金託什戴的聖誕老人胡着火後，他就是跳進這個水池解的圍。圍牆之外，是格里夫河谷(the valley of River Gryffe)和埃爾郡(Ayrshire)的低矮山丘。

The village of Kilmacolm is a built-to-last sort of place with 19th-century buildings of solid sandstone, mostly independent shops, a pub and cafes, and a golf course and two schools are nearby. It is about 15 miles, or about 24 kilometers, from central Glasgow and 10 miles to the international airport.

啓馬科姆村是個有歷久彌新之感的地方，到處是以堅固的砂岩建造的19世紀房屋，大部分是獨立商店，還有一家酒吧和一些咖啡館。附近還有一處高爾夫球場和兩座學校。從格拉斯哥市中心到這裏約有15英里或大約24公里；到國際機場則有10英里（約合16公里）。

The average asking price for properties on sale in Kilmacolm is ￡351,433, while the average for Scotland is ￡160,000, according to .

根據的統計，啓馬科姆當地在售房產的平均要價在351433英鎊（約合人民幣355.8萬元），而蘇格蘭地區的平均值爲160000英鎊（約合人民幣162.0萬元）。

"This is where the social elite live," said Rory Ballantyne, owner of the eponymous real estate agency that is handling the sale.

“這是一個社會精英居住的地區，”負責本文這處房產銷售的羅裏·巴蘭坦房產經紀公司的所有者羅裏·巴蘭坦(Rory Ballantyne)說。

Who would buy such an unusual property? According to Mr. Ballantyne, most business activity in Scotland is on hold until the Sept. 18 independence referendum, an opinion supported by the July report on prime Scottish house prices by the real estate company Knight Frank, which showed sale prices unchanged from April to June of this year.

誰會來買下這樣一處非同尋常的房產呢？據巴蘭坦說，在9月18日的獨立公投之前，蘇格蘭的多數商業活動都暫緩了。這個說法，也得到了房地產公司萊坊國際(Knight Frank)一份有關蘇格蘭主要房價的七月報告的佐證。報告顯示，本年度的房產銷售價格自4月到6月間未曾發生變化。

"Foreign money has disappeared," Mr. Ballantyne said. "But I think it might be a Mackintosh lover who will buy the house — an American perhaps. The actor Brad Pitt is known to be an admirer of Mackintosh and was one of the first to contribute to the restoration of the art school after the blaze. Maybe he'd make an offer."

“海外投資都消失了，”巴蘭坦說，“但我認爲，可能會有一個麥金託什愛好者願意購買這棟房子——美國人吧，可能。演員布拉德·皮特(Brad Pitt)是個出名的麥金託什崇拜者，他也是在藝術學校失火後第一批爲修繕捐款的人。或許他會報個價。”

Whatever the result of the vote, he added, "Scotland will still be Scotland — and who knows, if it becomes independent, that might add to its romantic appeal."

無論公投結果如何，他補充說，“蘇格蘭還將是蘇格蘭——誰知道呢，如果它獨立了，也許還會增加一些浪漫色彩。”

And Windyhill's interiors will still be what Pamela Robertson, senior curator at the Hunterian, describes as "the room as a work of art."

而“風之丘”的內部裝飾，也依然如亨特博物館的高級管理員帕米拉·羅伯特森(Pamela Robertson)所言，“堪稱一件藝術品的房間”。