

Browse highlights from our history
Explore our timeline from 1830 to the present and beyond


Walkout splits the Church and divides Divinity Faculty

William Playfair called in

Laying of the Foundation Stone

Helpers in the library

Phoebe Anna Traquair “Address of the Young Women’ Class to Rev Whyte”

New College Jubilee

Death of Principal Rainy

Merger of New College and University Faculty of Divinity

Library relocation

Briefcase reveals the lifelong friendships of pre-war students

Students watch over New College during air raids

Centenary

Same building, new start

Pope John Paul II visits New College

Treasures of the New College collection

Rainy Hall Restorations

175th Anniversary Celebrations
Welcome
Welcome to the New College online Exhibition! We’ve been teaching Divinity at the University of Edinburgh since its foundation in 1583. But our beautiful and iconic New College building has just reached its 175th anniversary and we think that’s something to celebrate.
These walls have seen a great deal of change since the foundation stone was laid on 3rd June 1846. Click on our timeline to travel back to the past – to the time when the site was occupied by Mary of Guise’s royal palace, to the disruption of the Church and the war years, and to see our links with the city and the wider world. You’ll be able to meet the pioneering staff who taught here, read the stories of an incredibly diverse student body, and see an array of historical documents.
And if you have anything to contribute yourself, please get in touch.
Professor Helen Bond, Head of School (2021)
Explore some of New College rooms through 360° images

Rainy Hall

The first female Head of School
