key events

New College Founders Week

New College celebrated its 175th Founders Day on June 3rd 2021. The occasion was celebrated with a week of events and activities to mark the special anniversary.

Winter Tales: A festival of literature, religion and the imagination

In celebration of 175 years of ground-breaking research into religion, spirituality and the arts, In December 2021 the School of Divinity at New College, hosted its first ever literary festival.

Students vote for New College Motto

In 2021 a vote was held to decide the New College Motto. The winning entry was decided to be “Quaerite et Invenietis” (Seek and You Shall Find)”. 

The New College Clock – 175 years overdue

To mark the 175th anniversary of the founding of New College, we’ve remedied what our predecessors didn’t get around to, and installed a magnificent clock.

The New College Tapestry

As part of our 175th Anniversary celebrations in 2021 we were gifted a beautiful tapestry designed by heraldic artist Andrew Jamieson who also designed the coronation invites for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. This new tapestry hangs on the gable end wall nearest the Assembly Hall in the Rainy Hall and was adapted from […]

New College Library returns to Mound Place

In 2023 we were pleased to welcome New College Library back to Mound Place after its temporary relocation to 40 George Square.

Meditation and Multifaith Space re-opens

In 2025 we were pleased to be able to re-open our Meditation and Multifaith Space (previously known as the Sanctuary) located on the ground floor of the New College Library.

Let there be light! New College Quad lighting shines bright

Thanks to a generous donation from Alumnus Rev Dr Robert Funk, New College has been able to install beautiful new lighting for our quad area. This project was essential for us to upgrade our lighting system and ensure that the quad is bright enough during the darker winter nights. The new lights will also mean […]

The New College Coat of Arms

To coincide with the 175th anniversary of its founding, New College was granted its own Coat of Arms by the Lord Lyon on 3rd June 2021.

Professor Frank Whaling (1934-2022): an Appreciation of his Contribution to the Study of Religion/s

Professor Frank Whaling, who was appointed to the staff of New College in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh in 1973 to coordinate the new BA and MA (Honours) degrees in Religious Studies, died on 26th November 2022. He retired in 1999, but maintained a keen interest in the activities of Edinburgh’s […]

Community and ownership in student publications

The School’s archive features a vast array of magazines and pamphlets produced by students over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Student newsletters, known variously as New College News, New College News Sheet, New Col, and The Mod-erator were produced in fits and starts from the 1960’s through to 2007. A common theme that pervades these […]

Fire Eating at New College

At an end-of-term lunch in the 1980s, a New College student had astonished everyone by demonstrating his fire-eating skills.

Library relocation

The move of the High Kirk congregation to Morningside allowed for the library’s expansion in a new premises

Alastair Sim CBE (1900-1976)

Alastair Sim CBE (1900-1976), arguably Britain’s finest comedy actor, was the Fulton Lecturer in Elocution at New College from 1925-1930.

The first female Head of School

In 2018 Helen Bond, Professor of Christian Origins, became New College’s first female Head of School since its founding in 1846.

New College achieves the Silver Athena SWAN Award

New College’s efforts to promote an inclusive learning and working environment were recognised in 2019, when the School became the first Theology and Religious Studies department in the UK to receive a Silver Athena SWAN award. Five years previously, in 2014, the School had been awarded Bronze. The application process was overseen by the School’s […]

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Poems by former student reflect on ministry over the 20th century

Among the documents gifted to New College by the ‘Class of ’38’, who continued to meet annually for the lion’s share of the twentieth century, are a selection of poems that reflect on the author’s ministry over the twentieth century. Entitled ‘Here’s to Us’ and ‘New Horizons’, the two poems by ‘ganger’ (as they dubbed […]

New College fun and games in the early 20th century

Nostalgic photographs held in New College’s Special Collections show friendship and fellowship outside of the classroom.

175th Anniversary Celebrations

In 2021, we celebrated the 175th anniversary of the day when Dr Thomas Chalmers laid the foundation stone of New College on the Mound: 3 June 1846.

Rooms renamed in honour of two inspirational, female theologians

On Thursday 15 September 2016, two teaching rooms were renamed in honour of inspirational, female theologians from New College history.

Rainy Hall Restorations

In September 2018, work began to restore Rainy Hall in time for the General Assembly in May 2019.

West Tower

Reception

Manned by our friendly receptionist, the New College Reception sits through the glass doors at the back right of the Quad.

Senate Room

The Senate Room is a boardroom style room with tables and chairs used as a meeting room and for some events and PhD Vivas. The walls of the room are adorned by beautiful paintings of significant staff members with connections to the School of Divinity including Ruth Page, John Baillie, Thomas F. Torrance, and more.

Staircases

Student Support Meeting Pod

Recently installed during the after the reception renovation works, the Student Support Meeting Pod provides a quiet space for students to have meetings with the Student Support Team. This pod features a carpet finish, fan cooling on the inside, soundproofing, and frosted glass on the door to ensure that the space is private and comfortable […]

Torrance Room

The Torrance Room is one of three postgraduate study rooms in the Ramsay Lane Wing of the building.

Wesley Room

The Wesley Room is one of three postgraduate study rooms in the Ramsay Lane Wing of the building.

William Manson Room

The William Manson Room in New College is an office space located on the second floor of the building.

Althaus-Reid Room

The Althaus-Reid Room is classroom style room with tablet chairs used for general teaching.

Andrew Walls Room

Archive

Baillie Room

The Baillie Room is a boardroom style room with tables and chairs that is used for general teaching.

Black and White corridor

The Black and White Corridor is located directly outside the General Assembly Hall and can be accessed through Rainy Hall or the steps in the building’s quad.

Blackie MacKinnon Room

The Blackie Mackinnon Room is a Postgraduate Masters study room in the Mezzanine Level of the building.

David Welsh Reading Room

The David Welsh Reading Room provides an environment for quiet study and contains 30 study seats, microfilm and microfiche readers.

Elizabeth Templeton Lecture Theatre

The Elizabeth Templeton Room is a fixed tiered, lecture theatre used for general teaching.

Garden

The New College Garden is a lovely outdoor space for both staff and students to use.

General Assembly Hall

The General Assembly Hall in New College is owned by the Church of Scotland and is used for special occasions and events.

Hewat Room

The Hewat Room is one of three postgraduate study rooms in the Ramsay Lane Wing of the building.

Library

All about the library.

Martin Hall

Martin Hall is now a classroom style room with tablet chairs used for general teaching.

McIntyre Room

The McIntyre Room is a boardroom style room with tables and chairs used for general teaching.

Oldham Room

The Oldham Room is a boardroom style room with tables and chairs used as a school support room.

Porteous Room

The Porteus Room is a boardroom style room with tables and chairs used for general teaching.

Rainy Hall

Rainy Hall is a social dining hall located in New College used for studying and events.

Meditation and Multifaith Space

The Meditation and Multifaith Space (previously known as the Sanctuary) is located on the ground floor of the New College Library.

Semples Room

The Semples Room is one of five postgraduate study rooms in New College and is located over the Rainy Hall.

Death of Principal Rainy

Robert Rainy was Principal of New College 1874-1906 and also first Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Free Church in 1900.

Graduate school space expands

The refurbishment of the Semples Close Wing [1997] increased the desk space available for Graduate Students considerably.

Centre for the Study of Christian Origins

Founded by Prof Larry Hurtado to bring together scholars working on early Christianity from the New Testament to patristics.

First female professor at New College

Argentinian theologian Marcella Althaus Reid was appointed to the chair Contextual Theology. The portrait by David Martin reflects her interests in Liberation, Feminist and Queer Theology.

Treasures of the New College collection

2006 saw the beginning of the Funk project which led to the cataloguing and preservation of numerous items from the New College archives.

New Programmes, timeless fascination

The Science and Religion programme brought new voices and methodologies to a topic which intrigued the earliest generations of New College students.

Buddhist Network

The launch of the Edinburgh Buddhist Studies Network took place in September 2019, linking researchers across the University of Edinburgh and beyond.

Library upheaval in a good cause

In 2020 work began to upgrade New College Library.

New MSc Programme in Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations

The latest addition to the New College Curriculum is the MSc in Christian Muslim relations, led by Programme Director Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla.

Literature takes a step forward

2021 will see the introduction of the MSc in Religion and Literature.

Library snapshots

In 1970 Iain Hope captured the atmosphere of New College Library on film.

First female lecturer at New College

Elizabeth Templeton was a gifted woman who was the first woman to hold a full-time lecturer post in the Faculty of Divinity, New College.

Greek Orthodoxy in the Athens of the North

From 1970 to 1973 John Zizioulas lectured in patristics bringing a unique Eastern Orthodox perspective to New College.

Priests among the Presbyterians

The early 1970s saw the diversification of denominational perspectives.

First intake into the Religious Studies BA

The new degree began with four students enrolled and was taught in collaboration with colleagues from the Faculties of Arts and Law.

A modernist makeover

The exterior of New College was unchanged but a substantial internal refurbishment saw the repurposing of examination rooms on the top floor as offices and adding a lift.

Life in space: the student view from the 1970s

The cartoons created for the New College Bulletin in 1975 and 1977 give a light hearted take on the student experience.

Bold appointment of first Catholic professor

The appointment of James P. Mackey as the first Catholic professor of theology at Edinburgh was controversial.

Pastoral care on a new footing

A new interest in the field of Practical Theology led to the first International Congress on Pastoral Care being held in Edinburgh.

Pope John Paul II visits New College

The visit of Pope John Paul II to Scotland in 1982 was significant for people from Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Centre for Theology and Public Issues

Founded by Duncan Forrester as the first ever research centre on Public Theology CTPI has made a distinguished contribution to the debate in Scotland and far beyond.

World Christianity comes to Edinburgh

The move of Professor Andrew F. Walls and Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World brought a new approach to studying Christians.

Modern media meets theology

The Media Theological Education Programme was set up in response to the concern that the church was not incorporating modern media into the curriculum.

Expansion of Religious Studies

The options available for students on the BA Religious Studies increased and transfer of Nick Wyatt and Alistair Kee from Glasgow.

Boom in student numbers

By the 1990s the number of students taking Religious Studies out numbered those on the BD.

Farewell to the Common Hall

The Common Hall which adjoined the Assembly Hall was converted into seminar rooms to accommodate the growing student numbers.

Yale-Edinburgh Group

The annual conference founded by Andrew Walls and Lamin Sanneh, continues to be hosted alternately by the two universities.

Launch of Studies in World Christianity

The first issue of the journal Studies in World Christianity: The Edinburgh Review of Theology and Religion appeared under the editorship of James Mackey.

Celebrations of diversity

The celebration of the 150th anniversary of New College in 1996 underlined the diversity in the student body, staff and curriculum.

Young women taking a lead

This session saw Ms Yi Chi from Manchuria an ordained missionary on Furlough studying at New College and also Ms J Tweedie-Stoddart leading light of the Theological Society.

Merger of New College and University Faculty of Divinity

The Faculty of Divinity moved to New College and the space previously used by them in Old College was given to the Faculty of Law.

A Galaxy of Speakers

In these years speakers at the New College Theological and Missionary Societies included Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr, Donald Baillie, Joe Oldham and Archie Craig.

Briefcase reveals the lifelong friendships of pre-war students

The contents of a suitcase from the NC archives capture the student days of the class of 1938.

Intellectual life in wartime

Reinhold Niebuhr’s Gifford Lectures were in delivered in the Rainy Hall, The Nature and Destiny of Man.

Students watch over New College during air raids

Student fire watchers perched on the roof of the Assembly Hall to watch over the buildings during air raids.

Baillie Commission sets post-war agenda

John Baillie’s report to the General Assembly was influential in forming Christian attitudes to the post-war re-shaping of society.

US Chaplains

US Army Chaplains had the opportunity to study at New College before being demobbed.

Centenary

New College celebrated its 100th Anniversary (Centenary) on the 3rd June 1946.

The student who never came

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote enquiring about PhD work at New College but instead began work for his PhD at Boston University in the same year.

James Deotis Roberts – pioneer of black theology

In 1957 Roberts was the first African American to graduate with a PhD from New College.

A decade of diversity?

At the end of the decade there was a large increase in the amount of Diversity of students at the School.

Major shift in BD entry

For the first time it was possible to study for BD without have a prior degree in another subject.

Same building, new start

In a shift away from the Church of Scotland, the buildings of New College and Mylnes Court were ceded to the University of Edinburgh in 1961.

Obscure opportunity

New College briefly ran the Camera Obscura on Castlehill when the University acquired the site with a view to expanding the nearby student residences.

Sectarian divisions soften

In 1967-8 a Catholic student in training for priesthood permitted by his bishop to take a BD and 2 Jesuits from Louvain were also studying at New College.

Alumni welcome women’s ordination in C of S

Women from New College such as Elizabeth Hewat, Margaret Forrester and Mary [Lusk] Levinson campaigned for ordination in Church of Scotland.

First college dinner

In 1872 a stable was converted to provide kitchens and the tradition of the New College Dinner began.

Students hire Gaiety Theatre

The Student Missionary Society began two new projects.

Pamphlet: Theological Class for Ladies

New College provided some opportunities for women in the 1870s, though it was not until after WW1 that women studied the full curriculum alongside men.

Robert Rainy (1826-1906)

Eminent historian and theologian of Christianity, Robert Rainy was Professor of Church History from 1862-1901 at New College and Principal 1874-1906.

Settlement at the Pleasance

New College Settlement was built at the Pleasance providing a residence, for a warden and several students to live alongside the people served by the existing mission.

Helpers in the library

Student helpers were a resource first used when Prof David Welsh was responsible for gathering a library for New College.

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

Illuminated manuscript produced to mark Rev Whyte’s election as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland in 1898.

New College Jubilee

The General Assembly set the Jubilee celebrations for 1900, rather than 1896, so that they could coincide with the extension of New College.

New College in Exile

Following the Union of the Free Church and the United Presbyterian Church in 1900 there was a court case about the ownership of the premises.

New College Union founded for alumni

In 1906, there was a Union founded for Alumni of New College.

Staff and students return to New College

On 1st Jan 1907 the United Free Church was able to return following the outcome of a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Discussions pave the way for church reunion

The path to the reunion of the Church of Scotland and the Free Church in 1929 began a decade earlier with a meeting held in New College Library.

World Missionary Conference

The Edinburgh Missionary Conference was held in the Assembly Hall adjoining New College.

New College and the Great War

The impact of WW1 on a generation can be seen in different places.

First postgraduate study

Approval was given for a Post-Graduate School in Theology on 6th February 1919.

Keeping the clergy in good voice

Scottish actor Alistair Sim served as Lecturer in Elocution 1925-30. Elocution was taught to candidates for the ministry from 1877.

A formidable first – Elizabeth Hewat

Elizabeth Hewat was not the first woman to study theology at New College but she was the first female BD (1926) and PhD (1934).

Union of the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland

The settlement for the three Theological Colleges of the United Free Church and Four University Faculties of the Church of Scotland took a little longer.

Women Students

At the end of the 1920s there were fourteen women students attending classes regularly, nine wives of American students and also five women missionaries training or on furlough.

Theologian shows early promise

Thomas F. Torrance was a student prize winner in May 1935, 1936 and 1937!

Palace of Mary of Guise

The townhouse at 533 Castlehill was built for Mary of Guise in 1544, but fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1845 to clear the ground for New College.

Student protestors

Students and professors of theology, were heavily involved in the debates about the appointment of parish ministers which were to lead to the Disruption of 1843.

New theological college required?

The first mention of the need for a new theological college to serve those planning to leave the established church can be traced back to 17th February 1843.

Walkout splits the Church and divides Divinity Faculty

On May 18th 1843 Reverend David Welsh led a walk out of c. 200 ministers from the opening session of the Church of Scotland’ General Assembly.

A temporary home for the New College

A building was purchased at 80 George Street to be used for teaching the Free Church Theological students.

First session of the New College

The very first classes for the Free Church students were held at Dr Candlish’ church in Lothian Road.

Architects compete

The General Assembly of May 1844 decided to build a new college and shortly afterwards secured a site on the Mound for the sum of £10,000.

William Playfair called in

William Henry Playfair’s plans for a new building for the Free High Kirk congregation were approved by the committee and then submitted to the Free Church General Assembly.

Chalmers’ vision for Free Church Education

In 1845 Thomas Chalmers turned his attention to the curriculum of the college.

Laying of the Foundation Stone

Rev Thomas Chalmers laid the foundation stone for New College on 3rd June 1846.

Death of Chalmers

The loss of Rev Thomas Chalmers who had been so important to the foundation of the Free Church and New College was tremendous.

Student social action

The New College Missionary Society began as a breakaway from the Edinburgh University Missionary Association at the time of the Disruption.

Student Life in the 1850s

The scope of the curriculum can be seen in the announcement for the commencement of the college session from 3rd September 1851.

A global correspondence

The New College Missionary Society kept up a programme of meetings and also had contact with similar societies around the world to exchange news and offer support. In 1856 the missionary society was corresponding with 15 other locations: St Andrews, Aberdeen, Glasgow, China, Caffraria (Lovedale), Free Church in France, English Presbyterian College, Madras, Uppsala, La Tour, Geneva, Lausanne, Princeton Halifax N.S., and Toronto.

Natural science on the curriculum?

The death of John Fleming professor of natural science sparked the first of several debates about whether the subject should remain on the curriculum.

Death of William Cunningham

Cunningham was Principal of New College 1847-61. He was a firm advocate for the Free Church and it is theological college, guiding it through it is first decade in the New College building. He is commemorated in the Cunningham Lectures.See also…

South African Links

Forty-four Afrikaner candidates for ministry trained at New College.

Appointment of Alexander Duff

Alexander Duff was appointed as the first Professor of Evangelistic Theology and held this appointment until his death in 1878. Duff was already well known in Scotland from his a missionary career in India.

Students call for more space

A Minute of the New College Senatus shows students requesting a reading room and room for societies in 1870 but to no avail!

Alexander Duff appointed as first Professor of Evangelistic Theology

Alexander Duff was appointed as the first Professor of Evangelistic Theology and held this appointment until his death in 1878.

Choan-Seng Song at New College

Choan-Seng Song was a student at New College and went on to a prolific and very influential career.

Cartoons

Ruth Page – New College’s first female Principal

Dr Ruth Page served as lecturer and then senior lecturer of Systematic Theology at the School of Divinity from 1979 up until her retirement in 2000. From 1996-2000 she became the first woman to be appointed as the Principal of New College. Dr Page’s career at the University of Edinburgh focused on a wide variety […]

Mona Siddiqui appointed Professor of Islamic and Inter-Religious Studies

In 2011, Professor Mona Siddiqui was appointed Professor of Islamic and Inter-Religious Studies.