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New College Past, Present & Future

Celebrating 175 years of New College

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History of the Building

Palace of Mary of Guise
1830 ©University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections, Hill & Adamson

Palace of Mary of Guise

with 1830
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.
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1830s History of the Building timeline #utility
1843

A temporary home for the New College

with 1840
A building was purchased at 80 George Street to be used for teaching the Free Church Theological students.
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1840s History of the Building #utility
1843

First session of the New College

with 1840
The very first classes for the Free Church students were held at Dr Candlish' church in Lothian Road.
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1840s Community Curriculum History of the Building #utility
1843

New theological college required?

with 1840
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.
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1840s History of the Building #utility
1844

Architects compete

with 1840
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.
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1840s History of the Building #utility
William Playfair called in
1845 The New College of Edinburgh, Elevation to the North External Front (1846), ©The University of Edinburgh

William Playfair called in

with 1840
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.
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1840s History of the Building timeline #utility
Laying of the Foundation Stone
1846

Laying of the Foundation Stone

with 1840
Rev Thomas Chalmers laid the foundation stone for New College on 3rd June 1846.
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1840s History of the Building Major Events timeline #utility Leave a Comment on Laying of the Foundation Stone
1870

Students call for more space

with 1870
A Minute of the New College Senatus shows students requesting a reading room and room for societies in 1870 but to no avail!
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1870s Community History of the Building #utility
Helpers in the library
1893 Helpers in the New College Library (New College Library Archives AA.1.8.1)

Helpers in the library

with 1890
Student helpers were a resource first used when Prof David Welsh was responsible for gathering a library for New College.
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1890s Community History of the Building Library timeline #utility
Settlement at the Pleasance
1893 48 The Pleasance (2021)

Settlement at the Pleasance

with 1890
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.
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1890s History of the Building #utility
1904

New College in Exile

with 1890
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.
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1890s Community History of the Building #utility
1907

Staff and students return to New College

with 1890
On 1st Jan 1907 the United Free Church was able to return following the outcome of a Royal Commission of Inquiry.
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1890s Community History of the Building #utility
Merger of New College and University Faculty of Divinity
1935

Merger of New College and University Faculty of Divinity

with 1930
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.
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1930s Community History of the Building Major Events timeline #utility
Library relocation
1936

Library relocation

with 1930
The move of the High Kirk congregation to Morningside allowed for the library's expansion in a new premises
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History of the Building Library timeline #library #martin hall
Students watch over New College during air raids
1941 “Fire watching duties during the Vacation”, ©The University of Edinburgh

Students watch over New College during air raids

with 1940
Student fire watchers perched on the roof of the Assembly Hall to watch over the buildings during air raids.
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1940s Community History of the Building timeline Wartime #utility
Same building, new start
1961 Mylne’s Court (2021)

Same building, new start

with 1960
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.
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1960s History of the Building timeline #utility
Obscure opportunity
1964 Camera Obscura (2021)

Obscure opportunity

with 1960
New College briefly ran the Camera Obscura on Castlehill when the University acquired the site with a view to expanding the nearby student residences.
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1960s History of the Building #utility
Library snapshots
1970 Foot of library hall 1977, ©The University of Edinburgh

Library snapshots

with 1970
In 1970 Iain Hope captured the atmosphere of New College Library on film.
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1970s Community History of the Building Library #utility
1973

A modernist makeover

with 1970
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.
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1970s History of the Building #utility
1992

Farewell to the Common Hall

with 1990
The Common Hall which adjoined the Assembly Hall was converted into seminar rooms to accommodate the growing student numbers.
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1990s History of the Building #utility
1997

Graduate school space expands

with 1990
The refurbishment of the Semples Close Wing [1997] increased the desk space available for Graduate Students considerably.
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1990s Community History of the Building #utility
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This page tells the history of the New College building from its inception in 1846. You can also view 360 panoramas and images of individual rooms.

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    Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all images and material are copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2021. Please contact the 175 Exhibition project for details about citation or re-use. Illustration of New College ©Victoria Rose Ball

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