Rainy Hall is a social dining hall located in New College used for studying and events.
History of the Hall
The room itself was part of the major expansion of our buildings that was begun in 1896, to mark the Jubilee of the New College building. Rainy Hall was completed in 1910 and is named after Robert Rainy, former Principal of New College, 1874-1906.
Rainy Hall Restorations
In September of 2018, work was completed to restore the Rainy Hall in time for the General Assembly taking place in 2019. This work included replacing the tables and chairs, installing new lighting, upgrading the audio visual system, and much more.
Read about the Rainy Hall Restorations
New College Tapestry
As part of the 175th Anniversary in 2021, the Rainy Hall walls became adorned with the brand new New College Tapestry. This tapestry, adapted from the New College Coat of Arms was created by Andrew Jamieson in December of 2021. The design features two students acting as ‘supporters’ for the crest. At the top of the central panel is the Latin motto ‘Quaerite et Invenietis’ translating to ‘seek and you shall find’, which was chosen by vote.
The coat of arms is surrounded by a border designed after consultation with staff and students. Within the border are thistles representing the country of Scotland and fleurs-de-lis for Queen Mary of Guise, whose palace stood on the site before New College. These feature alongside symbols for different faith traditions and disciplines studied at New College. The sharp-eyed will also spot some New College mice – we couldn’t leave them out!
Read about Andrew Jamieson and the New College Tapestry
