Old College, University of Edinburgh
Encyclopedia
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 located on South Bridge, and presently houses parts of the University's administration, the University of Edinburgh School of Law
University of Edinburgh School of Law
The University of Edinburgh School of Law, founded in 1707, is a school within the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to research and teaching in law. Known today as Edinburgh Law School, it is located in the historic Old College, the original site of the University...
, and the Talbot Rice Gallery
Talbot Rice Gallery
The Talbot Rice Gallery is part of the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland and was established in 1975. It takes its name from David Talbot Rice, the Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh from 1934–1972....
. Originally called the "New College", it was designed by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
to replace a number of older buildings.
History
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...
to a plan prepared by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
, to replace an existing collection of dilapidated buildings of 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...
, and the foundation stone was laid in November of that year for what was proposed as a building with a "First Court", giving access to professor's lodgings, followed by a Great Court, around which the main academic halls and lecture rooms would be arranged. By the end of 1791 several apartments were in use, but in the following year the death of Robert Adam and the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and the imposition of income tax slowed, then halted progress. In 1815 further funds were raised, and work recommenced. Plans were submitted by nine architects showing their proposals to continue the design work, with the outcome that William Henry Playfair
William Henry Playfair
William Henry Playfair FRSE was one of the greatest Scottish architects of the 19th century, designer of many of Edinburgh's neo-classical landmarks in the New Town....
was appointed architect in 1817. Playfair's design clove close to Adam's but combined the two courts into a single large quadrangle. By 1827 the building was virtually complete with the exception of fitting out the library, and construction of a dome which Adam had proposed at the east end of the building. This was left out as a cost saving, and the work was completed about four years later. The dome was added in 1887, to a design by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson
Robert Rowand Anderson
Sir Robert Rowand Anderson RSA was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his main work was small churches in the 'First Pointed' style that is characteristic of...
, and funded by a donation from Gorgie
Gorgie
Gorgie is an area of west Edinburgh, Scotland, located near Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry. It is home to Tynecastle Stadium, home of Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian Football Club, and the North British Distillery, which creates a distinctive odour in parts of the area.The area...
lawyer Robert Cox.
The quadrangle was never completed at the time the College was originally constructed. However, a proposal submitted by architects Simpson & Brown was recently accepted by the University, and renovations are currently underway; when work is completed, the quadrangle shall consist of a central grass lawn encircled by a paved terrace of honey-coloured stone. The new quadrangle is anticipated to act as a venue for graduation celebrations and festival events, as well as providing a more inviting entrance for the Talbot Rice Gallery
Talbot Rice Gallery
The Talbot Rice Gallery is part of the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland and was established in 1975. It takes its name from David Talbot Rice, the Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh from 1934–1972....
.