Moray House School of Education
Encyclopedia
The Moray House School of Education ("Moray House") is a school within the College of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh
. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood
Campus, located between the Royal Mile
and Holyrood Road.
The School offers courses at all levels of higher education
, including teacher training, Community Education
, E-learning, Physical Education
and Sports science
. It is also a centre for educational research.
The School has existed in one form or another since the mid-19th century, joining the University of Edinburgh
in 1998.
It is currently subdivided into five departments:
following the Disruption of 1843
. Known as The Free Church of Scotland’s Normal and Sessional School, it was originally located in Whitefield Chapel, and then in rooms below the Music Room in Rose Street
. In 1848, the school moved to its current location in Moray House, in the Canongate
.
In 1907, this institution merged with its Church of Scotland
equivalent (the Free Church Training College
), and the Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre was formed; with the church training colleges subsumed within this organisation. The new teaching building opened at Moray House in 1913.
Moray House College of Education was officially formed in 1959. In 1987, Moray House merged with the Dunfermline College of Physical Education based at Cramond
, and continued to exist on two separate campuses (Holyrood and Cramond) until 2001.
In 1991, the institute was linked with Heriot-Watt University
, Edinburgh; and was retitled Moray House Institute of Education. On 1 August 1998, Moray House Institute of Education merged with the University of Edinburgh
becoming its Faculty of Education.
Following internal resutructuring of the University of Edinburgh in 2003, Moray House is now known as the Moray House School of Education.
campus adjacent to the Canongate
in Edinburgh
.
. These made use of the high quality water from the springs and wells in this part of the Canongate
.
In response to the shortage of teachers in Scotland in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Moray House looked to the possibility of building additional teaching facilities close to the existing estate at Holyrood. In 1961 Moray House purchased the property of the Aitchison Brewery. This included buildings at the ends of Playhouse and Old Playhouse Closes as well offices (no. 18 and 19 St John's Street), a tenement (no. 20) and Maltings. The price paid was £50,000.
In the 1970s, three specialist teaching buildings were built from designs by architects Gordon and Day. They were St Leonard's Land (Physical Education
), Chessel's Land (Visual Arts
) and St Mary's Land (Science
and Technical
). The design of these buildings was representative of 1960s modernist architecture
and somewhat out of sympathy with the surrounding areas of the Old Town
. The bulk of the buildings wereon land formerly occupied by the Edinburgh and Leith Brewery and before that by the Old Edinburgh Playhouse.
, ceramics
, textiles, sculpture
, photography
and jewellery
. Inside the building were sixteen large studios and a large Exhibition Hall, which was available for both student and external use.
In the original plan for the site the raised patio in front of Chessel's Land was planned to connect with a proposed Library and a Theatre fronting onto Holyrood Road. These buildings in turn were to be connected with the St Leonard's Land building on the opposite side Holyrood Road. In the event these plans were ruled out by the SED in 1978. The Theatre was never built and a new Library was eventually developed in Dalhousie Land.
Chessel's Land takes its name from Archibald Chessel, a successful wright to trade and stalwart member of the Tron Kirk
who lived in the eighteenth century. He built the nearby Chessel's Court between 1745 and 1748. These were much admired mansion flats built to accommodate persons of standing.
In 1993 Chessel's Land became the base for the Aesthetic Studies Department, when Drama
studios were added. In 1996 Music
was transferred from Old Moray House.
In 1964, draft plans for a ten storey teaching block were drawn up by the architects, Gordon & Dey, to be built adjacent to the west side of St John Street. However, the Royal Fine Art Commission raised an objection to the planned height of the building. Consequently the building of the finally agreed six storeys wasn't started until December 1966. Subsequent delays arising from industrial disputes meant the facility wasn't handed over until February 1969.
Following advice from the Edinburgh City Archivist this teaching block was named Charteris Land.
The front of Charteris Land boasts a sculptured wall (and a fourth panel), which were commissioned from David Miller, a member of staff at Moray House. The wall was cast in reinforced concrete
into expanded polystyrene moulds. The sculpture was created in a continuous twenty nine hour operation by Arnott McLeod, Building Contractors.
The four panels all symbolise an aspect of educational theory:
and ICT
centre on Holyrood campus. It was originally constructed in the early 1960s on the site of numbers 2 to 5 St John Street, and originally included a large lecture theatre, Art rooms and a swimming pool.
This new building was opened on 2 May 1963 by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
, the Very Reverend Dr Neville Davidson, and was named Dalhousie Land.
In the early 1990s, Dalhousie Land was refurbished to become the new library for the Holyrood campus. Previously, periodicals, learning resources and books had occupied various rooms over three floors in Paterson's Land. A grant was obtained in 1994 to enable the relocation of all library facilities to Dalhousie Land. The refurbishment plans involved the retention of the original concrete container of the swimming pool, which was redesigned to house the periodicals collection. The current ground floor is at the level of the original edge of the swimming pool, and now houses the main stock area and Service Desk. A new mezzanine
area was inserted on the south side and housed the Children's Book collection. The top floor was opened out to house library and computer work stations. This new Library was opened in August 1996.
In 1999/2000, a further refurbishment was undertaken to allow for the transfer of the stock from the Cramond campus library before its closure. This involved the creation of a new floor 3 out of the former lecture theatres on floor 2.
from 1560, and in this Old Kirk between 1882 and 1941. John Knox
is claimed as the congregation's first minister (1560–1572).
The building dates from 1881/2. The architects were Anderson and Browne. It stands on the site of the old drying green originally provided by the Earl of Wemyss
to the residents of St John's Street in the 18th century.
In 1944 Moray House acquired the Old Kirk and its adjacent Hall. Following a major adaptation it became the base for the Music and Educational Handwork departments in 1949. A stage was constructed on the first floor using the timber from discarded desks. The City issued the Governors of Moray House in 1979 with a notice to demolish the Old Kirk's adjacent Hall, which had become dangerous. Until the merger with the University of Edinburgh in 1998 the building had latterly housed Moray House's Building Services. It is now closed.
built in 1618. Although it has been much altered by its occupants down the centuries, is one of the few remaining original aristocratic houses built in the Canongate
in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The building boasts massive obelisk
s flanking the gate and two very fine rooms up a turnpike stair, with elaborate original plaster ceilings and 18th Century panelling.
The current Old Moray House, developed from a group of three buildings of different ages, originally grouped around a small courtyard. The earliest building was Mary, Countess of Home’s
1618 mansion. The Regent’s House to the east followed, probably before 1647. Finally the New House was built to the south in 1755.
Moray House Nursery School was a purpose built Nursery School
designed on Montessori principles by Frank Wood in 1932. This child-centred approach required furniture, toilets, and even coat pegs to be designed specifically for small children.
, the second Earl of Hopetoun.
It was part of his scheme which included the development of tenement
s along the eastern side of what is now St John Street. This was a prestigious development unusual in Edinburgh at that time consisting as it did of three or four storey tenements each with its own front door. Access to St John's Street from the Canongate
was through a wide pend (1768).
By the early 1950s Moray House, through the National Committee for the Training of Teachers, owned St John's Land and the tenements along the east side of St John Street. Through the redevelopment of these sites the College was able made its own contribution to the Canongate renewal programme. The St John's Land project involved the redevelopment of the buildings at 176 - 184 Canongate and No. 1 St John's Street. The architect for the project was W G Dey. Typical of restoration work at this time no attempt was made to preserve the Georgian interiors. Instead the entire building was gutted and only the existing facades and the south west turret stair were retained. The cost of the works was estimated at £41,000.
On 24 May 1956 the building was formally opened by Walter Elliot, the Lord High Commissioner
for Scotland. Earl Attlee
, the Prime Minister of the post-war Labour government of 1945 to 1951, was also present. The then College Director of Studies, Dr W B Inglis, gave the votes of thanks.
The restored building contained studios for the teaching of Speech and Drama, staff studies and seminar rooms and a large proscenium theatre. For many years thereafter St John's Land housed in addition to Drama, the Scottish Centre for Education Overseas (SCEO) and, later, the Department for Social Science and Social Work. The Scottish Association for the Deaf used the basement as a resource and specialist equipment area. The Moray House Theatre was licensed for "public performances of plays and entertainment" and could seat an audience of up to 256.
Following the merger with the University the interior of the building was refurbished in 1998-99. The architects were Lewis and Hickey DJP. Facilities were created for the Department of Education & Society, including the Centre for Educational Sociology. These works involved the loss of the Moray House Theatre. The last student performance in the theatre, before it was cleared away, was Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. This has the valedictory line "And now our Revels all are ended."
and Sports science
departments, and has a swimming pool
, laboratory
and gym
nasia. The PE department had originally been sited on a different campus at Cramond
because it did not become part of Moray House until 1987, when Moray House merged with the Dunfermline College of Physical Education. However the relocation of the Physical Education department from its Cramond in July 2001 necessitated the expansion and refurbishment of the existing buildings.
The opportunity was taken not only to enlarge St Leonard's with a wrap around academic addition to the north and east sides but to add a six lane 25 metre research and teaching swimming pool. The architects for this project were FaulknerBrowns.
The original St Leonard's Land, now the core of the present building, was opened in 1971, and housed the original Moray House Physical Education department, which was a much smaller scale operation than before the merger with Dunfermerline college.
The architects planned the original 1970s building to be unified by a concourse that spanned Holyrood Road, linking St Leonard's Land to a Library and Theatre. These in turn were supposed to connect via an elevated quadrangle
with Chessel's Land and St Mary's Land. In the mid-seventies these grandiose plans were shelved leaving St Leonard's somewhat isolated on the far side of a busy road.
St Leonard's Land takes its name from the neighbourhood of St Leonard's which borders Holyrood Park
.
It houses the Environmental Studies department as well as scientific research.
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood
Holyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
Campus, located between the Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
and Holyrood Road.
The School offers courses at all levels of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, including teacher training, Community Education
Community education
Community education, also known as Community-based education or Community learning & development, is defined by the Scottish Government as learning and social development work with individuals and groups in their communities using a range of formal and informal methods...
, E-learning, Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
and Sports science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
. It is also a centre for educational research.
The School has existed in one form or another since the mid-19th century, joining the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1998.
It is currently subdivided into five departments:
- Curriculum Research & Development: mostly concerned with initial teacher educationInitial teacher educationInitial Teacher Education is a name used for teacher training in Scotland...
, both primary and secondary. - Educational Studies: involved in teaching, research and consultancy across a wide range of educational issues.
- Education & Society: concerned with the social science aspect of education, including lifespan development, social processes, social science theory, research methods, study skills, international education and management.
- Higher & Community Education: concerned with e-learning, lifelong learningLifelong learningLifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime...
and Community EducationCommunity educationCommunity education, also known as Community-based education or Community learning & development, is defined by the Scottish Government as learning and social development work with individuals and groups in their communities using a range of formal and informal methods...
, Management of Training and Development, and Higher EducationHigher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. - Physical Education, Sport & Leisure Studies
History
The institution currently known as Moray House was originally opened as a normal schoolNormal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
following the Disruption of 1843
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
. Known as The Free Church of Scotland’s Normal and Sessional School, it was originally located in Whitefield Chapel, and then in rooms below the Music Room in Rose Street
Rose Street
Rose Street is a street in the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a narrow street running parallel between Princes Street and George Street, and was formerly used as a service entrance to the houses on those roads as well as local shops and servants quarters. Today, it is principally a...
. In 1848, the school moved to its current location in Moray House, in the Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
.
In 1907, this institution merged with its Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
equivalent (the Free Church Training College
Free Church Training College
The Free Church Training College was established by the Free Church of Scotland in 1845 as a college for teacher training.In 1836, David Stow had established a Normal School in Glasgow but, following the Disruption of 1843, a legal ruling of 1845 compelled adherents of the Free Church to resign...
), and the Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre was formed; with the church training colleges subsumed within this organisation. The new teaching building opened at Moray House in 1913.
Moray House College of Education was officially formed in 1959. In 1987, Moray House merged with the Dunfermline College of Physical Education based at Cramond
Cramond
Cramond is a seaside village now part of suburban Edinburgh, Scotland, located in the north-west corner of the city at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth....
, and continued to exist on two separate campuses (Holyrood and Cramond) until 2001.
In 1991, the institute was linked with Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
, Edinburgh; and was retitled Moray House Institute of Education. On 1 August 1998, Moray House Institute of Education merged with the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
becoming its Faculty of Education.
Following internal resutructuring of the University of Edinburgh in 2003, Moray House is now known as the Moray House School of Education.
The Buildings of Moray House
The buildings of Moray House are located on the HolyroodHolyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
campus adjacent to the Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Development and History
During the nineteenth century, part of the original open area to the west of St John's Street and north of the South Back was occupied by a number of breweriesBrewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
. These made use of the high quality water from the springs and wells in this part of the Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
.
In response to the shortage of teachers in Scotland in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Moray House looked to the possibility of building additional teaching facilities close to the existing estate at Holyrood. In 1961 Moray House purchased the property of the Aitchison Brewery. This included buildings at the ends of Playhouse and Old Playhouse Closes as well offices (no. 18 and 19 St John's Street), a tenement (no. 20) and Maltings. The price paid was £50,000.
In the 1970s, three specialist teaching buildings were built from designs by architects Gordon and Day. They were St Leonard's Land (Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
), Chessel's Land (Visual Arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
) and St Mary's Land (Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and Technical
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
). The design of these buildings was representative of 1960s modernist architecture
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
and somewhat out of sympathy with the surrounding areas of the Old Town
Old Town, Edinburgh
The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is the medieval part of the city. Together with the 18th-century New Town, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has preserved its medieval plan and many Reformation-era buildings....
. The bulk of the buildings wereon land formerly occupied by the Edinburgh and Leith Brewery and before that by the Old Edinburgh Playhouse.
Chessel's Land
Chessel's Land was one of three buildings constructed in the early 1970s, and opened in January 1974. It was designed as a specialist centre for the training of teachers in the Visual Arts, including paintingPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, ceramics
Ceramic art
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
, textiles, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
. Inside the building were sixteen large studios and a large Exhibition Hall, which was available for both student and external use.
In the original plan for the site the raised patio in front of Chessel's Land was planned to connect with a proposed Library and a Theatre fronting onto Holyrood Road. These buildings in turn were to be connected with the St Leonard's Land building on the opposite side Holyrood Road. In the event these plans were ruled out by the SED in 1978. The Theatre was never built and a new Library was eventually developed in Dalhousie Land.
Chessel's Land takes its name from Archibald Chessel, a successful wright to trade and stalwart member of the Tron Kirk
Tron Kirk
The Tron Kirk is a former principal parish church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a well-known landmark on the Royal Mile. It was built in the 17th century, and closed as a church in 1952...
who lived in the eighteenth century. He built the nearby Chessel's Court between 1745 and 1748. These were much admired mansion flats built to accommodate persons of standing.
In 1993 Chessel's Land became the base for the Aesthetic Studies Department, when Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
studios were added. In 1996 Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
was transferred from Old Moray House.
Charteris Land
Charteris Land is home to Moray House's departments of Educational Studies and part of the department of Curriculum Research & Development.In 1964, draft plans for a ten storey teaching block were drawn up by the architects, Gordon & Dey, to be built adjacent to the west side of St John Street. However, the Royal Fine Art Commission raised an objection to the planned height of the building. Consequently the building of the finally agreed six storeys wasn't started until December 1966. Subsequent delays arising from industrial disputes meant the facility wasn't handed over until February 1969.
Following advice from the Edinburgh City Archivist this teaching block was named Charteris Land.
The front of Charteris Land boasts a sculptured wall (and a fourth panel), which were commissioned from David Miller, a member of staff at Moray House. The wall was cast in reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
into expanded polystyrene moulds. The sculpture was created in a continuous twenty nine hour operation by Arnott McLeod, Building Contractors.
The four panels all symbolise an aspect of educational theory:
- Panel 1 The Maze: Based on the use of the maze by psychologistPsychologistPsychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
s such as SkinnerB. F. SkinnerBurrhus Frederic Skinner was an American behaviorist, author, inventor, baseball enthusiast, social philosopher and poet...
and TolmanEdward C. TolmanEdward Chace Tolman was an American psychologist. He was most famous for his studies on behavioral psychology....
in experiments on rats to ascertain the power of deduction and memory retention in the learning process. - Panel 2 Growth and Development: How a form of life starts with a coincidence of two elements and whose eventual shape is determined by external influences.
- Panel 3 Assimilation of Knowledge: Where differing units are selected and sorted in a rational way to form an organic retrieval system.
- Panel 4 Community: With different forms fitting together symbolising the interdependence of man, woman and child.
Dalhousie Land
Dalhousie Land is the libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and ICT
ICT (education)
Information and communication technologies in education deal with the use of information and communication technologies within educational technology.-Purpose:...
centre on Holyrood campus. It was originally constructed in the early 1960s on the site of numbers 2 to 5 St John Street, and originally included a large lecture theatre, Art rooms and a swimming pool.
This new building was opened on 2 May 1963 by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
, the Very Reverend Dr Neville Davidson, and was named Dalhousie Land.
In the early 1990s, Dalhousie Land was refurbished to become the new library for the Holyrood campus. Previously, periodicals, learning resources and books had occupied various rooms over three floors in Paterson's Land. A grant was obtained in 1994 to enable the relocation of all library facilities to Dalhousie Land. The refurbishment plans involved the retention of the original concrete container of the swimming pool, which was redesigned to house the periodicals collection. The current ground floor is at the level of the original edge of the swimming pool, and now houses the main stock area and Service Desk. A new mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
area was inserted on the south side and housed the Children's Book collection. The top floor was opened out to house library and computer work stations. This new Library was opened in August 1996.
In 1999/2000, a further refurbishment was undertaken to allow for the transfer of the stock from the Cramond campus library before its closure. This involved the creation of a new floor 3 out of the former lecture theatres on floor 2.
Old Kirk
This building (currently closed) was the kirk of the Old (or Great) Kirk, a congregation which had originally worshiped in part of St. Giles' CathedralSt. Giles' Cathedral
St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to...
from 1560, and in this Old Kirk between 1882 and 1941. John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
is claimed as the congregation's first minister (1560–1572).
The building dates from 1881/2. The architects were Anderson and Browne. It stands on the site of the old drying green originally provided by the Earl of Wemyss
Earl of Wemyss
Earl of Wemyss and Earl of March are two titles in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 and 1697 respectively, that have been held by a joint holder since 1826. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. In 1625 John Wemyss was created a...
to the residents of St John's Street in the 18th century.
In 1944 Moray House acquired the Old Kirk and its adjacent Hall. Following a major adaptation it became the base for the Music and Educational Handwork departments in 1949. A stage was constructed on the first floor using the timber from discarded desks. The City issued the Governors of Moray House in 1979 with a notice to demolish the Old Kirk's adjacent Hall, which had become dangerous. Until the merger with the University of Edinburgh in 1998 the building had latterly housed Moray House's Building Services. It is now closed.
Old Moray House
Old Moray House is an aristocratic mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
built in 1618. Although it has been much altered by its occupants down the centuries, is one of the few remaining original aristocratic houses built in the Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The building boasts massive obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
s flanking the gate and two very fine rooms up a turnpike stair, with elaborate original plaster ceilings and 18th Century panelling.
The current Old Moray House, developed from a group of three buildings of different ages, originally grouped around a small courtyard. The earliest building was Mary, Countess of Home’s
Earl of Home
The title Earl of Home was created in 1605 in the Peerage of Scotland for Alexander Home of that Ilk, who was already the 6th Lord Home.The Earl of Home holds the subsidiary titles of Lord Home , and Lord Dunglass , in the Peerage of Scotland; and Baron Douglas, of Douglas in the County of Lanark ...
1618 mansion. The Regent’s House to the east followed, probably before 1647. Finally the New House was built to the south in 1755.
Old Nursery School
The Old Nursery School building is currently the school reception. The building was converted to become the School Reception and Moray House College Archive in 1999 by Lewis and Hickey. As a listed building it was obliged to retain many of its original features.Moray House Nursery School was a purpose built Nursery School
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
designed on Montessori principles by Frank Wood in 1932. This child-centred approach required furniture, toilets, and even coat pegs to be designed specifically for small children.
Paterson's Land
Paterson's Land contains teaching and tutorial rooms, as well as lecture theatres and the cafeteria.Simon Laurie House
Simon Laurie House one of the original buildings, bordering the CanongateCanongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
St John's Land
The present St John's Land was erected sometime between 1766 and 1768 by JohnJohn Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun
John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun was the son of Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun and Lady Henrietta Johnstone....
, the second Earl of Hopetoun.
It was part of his scheme which included the development of tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
s along the eastern side of what is now St John Street. This was a prestigious development unusual in Edinburgh at that time consisting as it did of three or four storey tenements each with its own front door. Access to St John's Street from the Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
was through a wide pend (1768).
By the early 1950s Moray House, through the National Committee for the Training of Teachers, owned St John's Land and the tenements along the east side of St John Street. Through the redevelopment of these sites the College was able made its own contribution to the Canongate renewal programme. The St John's Land project involved the redevelopment of the buildings at 176 - 184 Canongate and No. 1 St John's Street. The architect for the project was W G Dey. Typical of restoration work at this time no attempt was made to preserve the Georgian interiors. Instead the entire building was gutted and only the existing facades and the south west turret stair were retained. The cost of the works was estimated at £41,000.
On 24 May 1956 the building was formally opened by Walter Elliot, the Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner is the style of High Commissioners, i.e. direct representatives of the monarch, in three cases in the Kingdom of Scotland and the United Kingdom, two of which are no longer extant...
for Scotland. Earl Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
, the Prime Minister of the post-war Labour government of 1945 to 1951, was also present. The then College Director of Studies, Dr W B Inglis, gave the votes of thanks.
The restored building contained studios for the teaching of Speech and Drama, staff studies and seminar rooms and a large proscenium theatre. For many years thereafter St John's Land housed in addition to Drama, the Scottish Centre for Education Overseas (SCEO) and, later, the Department for Social Science and Social Work. The Scottish Association for the Deaf used the basement as a resource and specialist equipment area. The Moray House Theatre was licensed for "public performances of plays and entertainment" and could seat an audience of up to 256.
Following the merger with the University the interior of the building was refurbished in 1998-99. The architects were Lewis and Hickey DJP. Facilities were created for the Department of Education & Society, including the Centre for Educational Sociology. These works involved the loss of the Moray House Theatre. The last student performance in the theatre, before it was cleared away, was Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. This has the valedictory line "And now our Revels all are ended."
St Leonard's Land
The current St Leonard's Land was opened in October 2001, and is the newest building on the Holyrood campus. It houses the Physical EducationPhysical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
and Sports science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
departments, and has a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasia. The PE department had originally been sited on a different campus at Cramond
Cramond
Cramond is a seaside village now part of suburban Edinburgh, Scotland, located in the north-west corner of the city at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth....
because it did not become part of Moray House until 1987, when Moray House merged with the Dunfermline College of Physical Education. However the relocation of the Physical Education department from its Cramond in July 2001 necessitated the expansion and refurbishment of the existing buildings.
The opportunity was taken not only to enlarge St Leonard's with a wrap around academic addition to the north and east sides but to add a six lane 25 metre research and teaching swimming pool. The architects for this project were FaulknerBrowns.
The original St Leonard's Land, now the core of the present building, was opened in 1971, and housed the original Moray House Physical Education department, which was a much smaller scale operation than before the merger with Dunfermerline college.
The architects planned the original 1970s building to be unified by a concourse that spanned Holyrood Road, linking St Leonard's Land to a Library and Theatre. These in turn were supposed to connect via an elevated quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
with Chessel's Land and St Mary's Land. In the mid-seventies these grandiose plans were shelved leaving St Leonard's somewhat isolated on the far side of a busy road.
St Leonard's Land takes its name from the neighbourhood of St Leonard's which borders Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It has an array of hills, lochs, glens, ridges, basalt cliffs, and patches of whin providing a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape within its area...
.
St Mary's Land
St Mary's Land is very similar to its adjoining building, Chessels's Land.It houses the Environmental Studies department as well as scientific research.
Thomson's Land
Thomson's Land - contains teaching and tutorial rooms. Originally part of the on-site school.Centres and Projects
Within the five departments listed above, there are also a number of other centres and projects http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/departments/index.html:- Edinburgh Centre for Mathematical Education (ECME)
- Educating for a Sustainable Future (ESF)
- Scottish Interactive Technology Centre (SITC)
- Communication Aids for Language & Learning (CALL)
- Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES)
- Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)
- Scottish Schools Ethos Network & Anti-Bullying Network
- Scottish Sensory Centre (SSC):.
- Achievements of Deaf Pupils in Scotland (ADPS)
- Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP).
- Centre for Educational Leadership (CEL):
- Centre for Educational Sociology (CES).
- Educational Assessment Unit
- International Education & Training
- Scottish Autism Research Group (SARG)
- Centre for Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA)
- Enhancing Teacher-Learning Environments Project (ETL)
- Scottish Centre for Research into On-Line Learning & Assessment (SCROLLA)
- Child & Adolescent Health Research Unit (CAHRU)
- Centre for Aquatic Research & Education (CARE)
Famous alumni
- Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
- actor - Chris HoyChris HoySir Christopher Andrew "Chris" Hoy, MBE is a Scottish track cyclist representing Great Britain and Scotland. He is a multiple world champion and Olympic Games gold medal winner...
- cyclist - Donnie MunroDonnie MunroDonnie Munro is a Scottish musician, and former lead singer of the band Runrig.A native speaker of Scottish Gaelic, much of his work is in that language.-Early life:...
- Scottish musician - J. K. RowlingJ. K. RowlingJoanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
- author of the Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series - Jim TelferJim TelferJames "Jim" Telfer is a Scottish rugby union coach and a former rugby player. A former headmaster at Hawick High School and chemistry teacher, he has won fame as a Scottish forwards coach who gave punishing training sessions to his players...
- Scottish rugby player and coach - Julie FleetingJulie FleetingJulie Fleeting MBE , whose married name is Julie Stewart, is a Scottish international footballer who currently plays as a striker for Arsenal Ladies in the FA WSL. She wears the number 10 shirt....
- footballer