Browse Items (4104 total)

The Festival Theatre sits on Edinburgh’s longest continuous theatre site. The 19 Nicolson Street locale has been a theatre site since 1830. It has seen three major remodellings during its rich and varied history, with the current glass-fronted…

The Edinburgh Gin distillery & visitor centre is situated beneath the Rutland Hotel.Scottish architect Archibald Elliot designed the building in 1819. It was once the home to Joseph Lister, pioneer of antiseptic surgery and has been a listed…

Built against the stunning backdrop of a sheer quarry rock face amongst the rolling hills of Ratho the Arena opened its doors in December 2003 and was the vision of architect David Taylor who teamed up with Rab Anderson and Duncan McCallum to build…

Located on the north side of the iconic Old College, at the heart of the University, Edinburgh Law School is a world-leading law school rooted in the eclectic, open and interdisciplinary intellectual traditions of Scots law. The School recently…

Built around the historic 16th century birthplace and home of our very own John Napier, Merchiston campus is home to our creative, computing and engineering students, situated in the buzzing neighbourhood of Bruntsfield.This mix of disciplines helps…

The Merchiston Campus is home to Edinburgh Napier's Faculty of Engineering, Computing & Creative Industries as it was to John Napier himself. He was born in 1550 in the Merchiston Tower that still stands in the courtyard. The campus is home to…

The EPT building was originally constructed as a railway workshop, probably in the late 1800s. The small shop area above would have been the ticket office for Newington station. Although the platform has now been removed the stairs down to it are…

A Georgian building bought by the Society in 1954 for their use over four floors and including a garden. During Doors Open Day, there were sports lectures running through the day along with guided tours. Visitors could learn what equipment to use,…

Located on Union Street, amongst some of Edinburgh�s most beautiful Georgian architecture, Edinburgh Printmakers was originally a washhouse for the local community. All the public washhouses of Edinburgh were closed by 1971 but many of the original…

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s new buildings were opened in 2012, a progression from the railway sheds which a group of artists took over on the site in the late 1980s.The bespoke buildings, designed by Sutherland Hussey Architects, house studios,…

Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court is a modern building which opened to the public in September 1994. It is the largest of the Courts within Lothian and Borders and after Glasgow, the second busiest Court in Scotland. It houses 18…

Originally known as Drumsheugh Toll the building was designed by George Washington Browne in 1891 as a studio house for the artist Charles Martin Hardie RSA. The Edinburgh Society of Musicians is an organisation which promotes practical music-making…

This Art Deco building was constructed in 1936 from a design by Sir Basil Spence. Located in an idyllic setting beside the Water of Leith, close to the site of Bell�s Mills, the club is used for many racket sports and has the UK�s last doubles court…

Edinburgh Trams is the award winning operator of the city�s tramway with services from every three minutes to 16 locations across Edinburgh. Entering into service in 2014, the depot at Gogarburn is home to Edinburgh�s fleet of 27 trams.For the first…

Built to Robert Adam's design in 1796, the interior dates from the remodelling by the fourth Marquess of Bute in 1903, including the Adam-style ceiling in the first floor drawing room.Edinburgh is a World Heritage Site. During Doors Open Day there…

Former North Morningside Church in Neo-Norman by David Robertson, 1879-81. Dramatic intervention by Nicholas Groves-Raines, 1992 and 1999, for conversion to the Eric Liddell Centre. Viewing gallery for the impressive collection of stained glass which…

The Festival Theatre, situated on the longest running continuous theatre site in Edinburgh, opened in June 1994 boasting, at that time, the largest stage in the UK, a 1,915 seat auditorium, spacious bars and function suites, an iconic glass fa�ade,…

Fettes College, founded in 1870, was built using an endowment left by Sir William Fettes specifically for this purpose. Designed by the architect David Bryce, and completed in 1873 this magnificent building is a cross between a Loire chateau and a…

A world-class, three-screen independent cinema based in a former church, built in 1831.

New Nursery School within school grounds with two classrooms, a parents / general purpose room, playground and ancillary accommodation. The classrooms are triangular in plan, echoed in cross section by a monopitch roof, with their long edge designed…

Granton Square, William Burn 1838, has always been open to the sea on the north side whence departed the ferry to Fife from the harbour developed by the Duke of Buccleuch in 19C. The first train ferry service in the world started here in 1849. East…

Fountainbridge Library is an icon of modern Scottish architecture. It was funded by the publisher Thomas Nelson Jr, and designed by the architect John A. W. Grant (1887 – 1959). It also features friezes on its façade by the sculptor Charles…

The most imposing work of A Hunter Crawford, 1910-12, with a Renaissance facade and a grand interior.

There have been public buildings on this site for centuries. The present one was inaugurated in 1904 for Midlothian County. Since September 2017, it houses the French Institute and Consulate in Scotland, serving as a centre for cultural exchanges in…

The Assembly Hall was designed by David Bryce in 1858.� Since 1929 this unique building has been used by the Church of Scotland to host its General Assemblies.�In more recent years the Hall was additionally used by the Scottish Parliament while the…

The General Register Office for Scotland in New Register House holds all the statutory birth, death and marriage registers for events recorded in Scotland from 1855 as well as old parish registers and open Census records. The records are stored in…

The architect of Heriot’s Hospital was the royal master mason William Wallace. It is an excellent example of Scots Renaissance architecture. Built from stone quarried at Craigleith and Ravelston, lime from Kirkliston and Westhouses, timber from…

The University now operates four local power stations generating 80% of campus power requirements through low carbon Combined Heat and Power Energy Centres. It has a 1.6MWe generator behind the Old Medical School which heats and cools the George…

A category C-Listed late Victorian, red brick, five storey (50,000 square foot) purpose-built whisky warehouse. Abbot’s Choice Scotch Whisky was produced here, and the building retains almost all of its original features. Acquired by Georgian…

A hidden gem by James Gillespie Graham, 1835, for St Margaret's Convent of the Ursulines of Jesus, the first religious house in Scotland since the Reformation. The chapel contains delicate details and exquisite furnishings, including the Lady Chapel…

It is not known exactly when the town house was built but by 1820 it was occupied. After being sold for �3000, 16 Coates Crescent was occupied by Girlguiding Scotland (The Girl Guide Association at the time) in 1939.Now an office and retail space,…

Originally the home of a small Scottish religious sect, the A-listed former place of worship is hidden within the residential neighbourhood on Barony Street.The Glasite Meeting House was constructed in 1835, one of the first designs by Alexander…

The Glasshouses @ Royal Edinburgh Hospital (REH), built in the 1950s, were originally used to propagate plants for the hospital gardens. Following renovation, Artlink moved into the Glasshouses in 2011 and, along with the Cyrenians, use the treasured…

This Category B-listed Victorian church incorporates the remains of a pre-Reformation chapel and has been used as a cabinetmaking workshop since 1979. During Doors Open Day, visitors could learn about the building and its surrounding graveyard.…

Gogarbank House was built by Cumberland Reid in 1780. In 1818 his nephew, John Reid, succeeded him and built the present additions, including the handsome walled garden which still operates as a working kitchen garden. With its carefully designed box…

An opportunity to visit Granton's very own secret garden hidden away on Edinburgh's waterfront. The Walled Garden was once attached to Granton Castle, which was built in the late 15th century, rebuilt in 1544, refurbished in the 17th century, and…

The Lighthouse was originally built circa 1850 as a training centre; however, it has since become a cultural hub in the North of the city. Residents include the Depot recording and rehearsal studios, The Sierra Metro Gallery and Art in Architecture…

The research and conservation workshops of the National Museums of Scotland. Tours led by curators include Zoology collections, geology rock cutting and polishing, and storage of industrial machinery, European ceramics, motorcycles, cars and…

In a street of much charm, built 1819-24, architects Gray, Marshall & Associates now occupy No 23 which has an extra large upper floor, using the space over the pend to the mews behind.

Edinburgh architect Crichton Wood has designed a rear conversion for this 1904 traditional semi-detached villa in Greenbank.

Greenbank Parish Church opened in 1900. The original building is used as a hall, with the present church built alongside in 1927 by architect Lorne Campbell. There are fine stained glass windows�by James Ballantine, Alexander Strachan and William…

Originally Greenbank United Free Church, the building was completed in 1927 by A Lorne Campbell and features beautiful stained glass windows by Alexander Strachan and William Wilson. The interior decoration was devised by Sir William Kininmonth and…

Grade A listed, Greyfriars Kirk plays an important part in Scottish history. In 1638, the National Covenant was presented and signed in the Kirk. In the mid-19th century the then minister led a movement to change the style of worship by introducing…

The Kirk plays an important part in Scottish history. In 1638 the National Covenant was presented and signed in front of the pulpit and in the mid-19th century the first post-Reformation stained glass windows and one of the first organs were…

The Grove Community Garden is a mobile community garden which has brought life to 3 separate brownfield sites in Fountainbridge over the last 5 years. We have a mix of personal and communal planting areas, a BBQ and a pizza oven for cooking and…

Guinness UDV, formerly United Distillers & Vintners, moved to their new office building in 2000. The building was designed by Allan Murray with the internal fit-out by BDG McColl to create a building which combines office space, meeting suite, and a…

Harlaw House was originally built as a waterkeeper’s cottage soon after the reservoir was constructed in 1848. Originally a single-storey building, it had a brief incarnation with an extra floor, before City of Edinburgh Council restored it to its…

Harlaw Hydro is generating green electricity from the Water of Leith, utilising the 150 year old dams that used to provide water power to industry in West Edinburgh. The old water bailiff's house is now a Visitor Centre for the Pentland Hills…

Harmeny School is a residential special school, working with children who have complex social, emotional and behavioural needs. Visitors can explore our buildings, grounds and Community Garden and hear about the activities we use to engage our…

11 South Charlotte Street, built ensuite with No 15 South Charlotte Street, is a significant surviving part of the original fabric of Edinburgh's New Town, one of the most important and best-preserved examples of urban planning in Britain. South…

This year the Club celebrates the 125th anniversary of Tynecastle Stadium. Construction of three new stands began in 1994 but of considerable interest is the main stand which was designed by Archibald Leitch and dates bacK to 1914. Tynecastle has…

The terrazzo and glass Herbarium & Library building overlooks the NE corner of the Garden. Opened in 1964 and extended in 2005-6, it houses one of Europe?s largest botanical libraries and a collection of around 3 million preserved plant and fungi…

Heriot-Watt University Museum and Archive is on the ground floor of the University Library, built by Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson, 1973-76.�Visitors will be able to step back in time to the 1930s to explore our Museum display �The…

Surrounded by fabulous walks and concealed by enchanting clusters of trees, Hermitage House, which was built in 1785 by Robert Burn, is a magnificent edifice worth visiting. There is a doocot, walled garden, icehouse and water pump system. This is…

Only the outer walls remain of the neo-Georgian Sheriff Court of 1934-37 by the Office of Public Works. The interior was completely remodelled by David le Sueur in 1997 to form high-security courts for the High Court of Justiciary. Wall hanging by…

Visitor centre opened in 1999, and designed in close consultation with the users. The pre-patinated roof covers a welcoming timber-panelled space with creche, caf? and counselling rooms. On the south side of Stenhouse Road, 150m east of Stenhouse…

Holyrood Abbey Church of Scotland has its roots in two nineteenth-century missions begun in the Canongate area of Edinburgh by the Free Church and the United Presbyterian Church respectively, though they later rejoined the Church of Scotland. The…

A small, late Gothic style church of 1895 by Hippolyte Blanc, on two levels. Above is the sanctuary with a false hammerbeam roof, entered by a newly created foyer. Below are modernised halls and other facilities. Originally a church, then a community…

Historic Scotland's new Education Centre and Park Ranger Station for Holyrood Park, designed by Malcolm Fraser, replaces undistinguished changing rooms and provides much needed space for introducing school parties and other groups to the history and…

Home to the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences and the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, the former College Street United Presbyterian Church was built in 1856 in Graeco-Italian style by Patrick Wilson.The finely detailed temple…

Inch House is a traditional early 17th century Scottish tower house, set in a magnificent surrounding park.˜ Although greatly extended in baronial style in the 1890s by the architects MacGibbon & Ross, it maintains much of its original grace and…

The Inch Nursery is City of Edinburgh Council�s plant nursery and training centre covering a 10 acre site within Inch Park. Opened in 1982, it produces around a million plants each year. These are used for the City�s parks, gardens, planters and…

A new community based sports hub combining changing accommodation with social and community use. The building is designed to fit into the surrounding landscape and to enhance the natural environment. The building is a result of the efforts of three…

Did you know the Informatics Forum has a garden roof terrace with a wonderful view of the surrounding area, including Arthur?s Seat? Opened in September 2008, the Informatics Forum is a fit for purpose building, providing a Forum for Interaction that…

The gallery has been created in the building that formerly housed �The Venue�, an infamous nightclub on Calton Road. On the ground floor there is a small gallery and print and publications room. On the upper floor there is a large gallery space. A…

There have been public buildings on this site for centuries. The present one was inaugurated in 1904 for Midlothian County. Since September 2017, it houses the Institut fran?ais d?Ecosse and Consulate General of France in Scotland, serving as a…

This is a modern university building which is part of the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS) at Heriot-Watt University. It houses the museum collection of the Scottish Branch of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Some…

The former College Street United Presbyterian Church, built in 1856 in Graeco-Italian style by Patrick Wilson, has a finely detailed temple front with conch niches and bracketed balconies. Remodelled in 1996 by Reiach and Hall to form offices and…

Designed by George Mackie Watson and opened in 1903, with Pilkington Jackson carvings and Gordon Webster stained glass windows, the church occupies a splendid location at Goldenacre. 2011 saw a union with neighbouring Inverleith church, with their…

Fine New Town house built in about 1820 and in which James Clerk Maxwell was born in 1831. Now the home of the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation. The house's original colour scheme and appearance have been restored with advice from Historic Environment…

The Japanese House, winner of the 2010 EAA small projects award, combines light, space and a Japanese theme to make an innovative yet restrained home. This environmentally aware house was self built by the architect, orientates towards the sun and is…

jmarchitects, formally Percy Johnson Marshall & Partners moved in 2006 from Duddingston House and purchased the 17th century A-listed town house at 64 Queen Street.Built for the 7th Earl of Wemyss it has retained the cast-iron spearhead railings…

Opened in 2009 the John Hope Gateway Building has been designed by Edward Cullinan Architects with sustainability as a guiding principle.Engineered timber is prominent, and is used both structurally and as a decorative feature. The laminated wood…

Dating back to 1470 and now incorporated into the Scottish Storytelling Centre, John Knox House is one of Scotland's greatest cultural treasures and is associated with the most dramatic events in Scotland's turbulent history. Located in The…

John Sinclair House is home to the archival collections of Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the new lead public body for the historic environment created in October 2015. HES is the guardian of the National Record of the Historic Environment, an…

Named after the eminent chemist Joseph Black (1728-1799), one of the foremost scientists of his day. Classical frontage of 1930s, with a new building added in 1999. No access from West Mains Road, enter by east entrance facing King's Buildings House…

Former stable block built in 1881 and now housing the offices of architectural practice Keppie Design, this year celebrating their 150th anniversary. For more information, please contact Abigail Stein on 0141 204 0066 www.keppiedesign.co.uk

Since its establishment in 1920, the King's Buildings campus has experienced vast transformation. Find examples of architectural developments across the site and discover more through our information panels. Additionally, there are a variety of…

Kirkliston Parish Church was built in about 1200 while the Bell Tower is a bird cage belfry with a single bell dated 1687. Many interesting graves including a gravestone with two carved heads both wearing glasses. Stained glass windows and, on one of…

Lamb�s House was built in 1610 by Andro Lamb, merchant. It was saved from demolition by the 4th Marquis of Bute in 1938-40. His son gave the house to the National Trust for Scotland in 1958. They completed the external restoration and a single storey…

Laudate House has accommodated the German speaking congregation in Edinburgh since 1967 when it was built by the architect Reiach & Hall to designs by Alfred Schildt. It is a purpose built community style centre typical of the time with a large…

The tower house built in the 1590s for Sir Archibald Napier, whose son John is best known for his exploration of logarithms. The house was extended in 1824 by architect William Burn. Opulent Edwardian interiors by William R Reid, who bought the house…

The Leith Links allotments will be open for the first time as part of Doors Open Day, in conjunction with the Greener Leith Children’s orchard. Go and see productive plots, join in the BBQ and learn what’s involved in tending the plots.

First planted with the help of hundreds of local children in 2010, the Leith Links Children’s Orchard incorporates 90 apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. It is bounded by a lengthy “berry” hedge made of more edible plants. Many…

Leith Police Station is the old Leith Town Hall, built 1827-28 by R & R Dickson as the Leith Sheriff Court. From the Queen Charlotte Street entrance, a grand ceremonial stair leads to the magnificent old Council Chamber. Huge panoramic painting of…

Built in 1868 as a church for Norwegian seamen visiting Leith and still occasionally used by the Norwegian community in Edinburgh. Leith School of Art was founded in 1988 and the building was adapted and extended in 2000 by Hugh Martin &…

The Leith Theatre complex was a gift to the people following the decision to incorporate the Burgh of Leith into Edinburgh.The building has seen bomb damage and dereliction, but the decades spent shut have also preserved much of the 30s Art Deco…

Leith Town Hall and Sheriff Court are situated within Leith Police station. Built in 1828 to a design by R. and R. Dicksons, the building contains the Victorian debating chamber, more commonly referred to as the old Leith town hall, unaltered since…

One of 85 police boxes, the Leith Walk Police box was designed by City Architect, Ebenezer Macrae. Originally at the junction of Leith Walk and Albert Street in 1933, it was used by City of Edinburgh Police with the Leith Burgh Force. In 1979, the…

Leitheatre is housed in one of the few remaining examples of 19th century mixed use tenement development of housing, industry and railway lines.In turns our premises have been a builder's workshop, a cooperage, a hi-fi centre, and a used car…

The present church, designed by James Gillespie Graham and built in 1815, stands on a prominent site where people have worshipped for over 1,000 years. Recently refurbished, the church has modern hangings as well as many historical features and an…

Liberton was built by the Dalmahoy family in the late 15th century and has been hailed as ‘the most perfect and unspoilt tower within the precincts of Edinburgh’. The tower contains many features typical of tower houses, including deep…

Lister Housing Co-operative owns 185 social rented flats in and around Lauriston Place. Most are Category B-listed Georgian tenements.�

Lorn Macneal, Chartered Architects, have been established in the New Town for over 25 years with a varied portfolio of predominantly private client works. They have a great many past and present projects on display in their studio office, as well as…

Built originally for the Industrial Exhibition of 1922, the category 'B' listed building was purchased to become the home of Edinburgh Corporation Transport?s bus fleet in 1926 then housing 108 vehicles including buses, char-a-bancs and city cars.…

Lyon & Turnbull is a privately owned international auction house based in Edinburgh. Founded in 1826, it is Scotland�s oldest and largest fine art auctioneers. The company�s Edinburgh HQ is based in a neoclassical building designed by Archibald…

A hidden gem in the Old Town. Built in 1541 as the last Roman Catholic chapel built in Edinburgh before the Reformation it contains the only pre reformation stained glass in Scotland still in its original location. The chapel may have hosted the…

In a former stable block on the edge of the hospital site, Maggie's Centre, designed by Richard Murphy Architects, is an innovative refurbished building where people affected by cancer can drop in for information and support. Extension, also by…

The Mansfield Traquair Centre is a former Catholic Apostolic Church. The building features an outstanding mural scheme painted by Phoebe Anna Traquair in the 1980s. The renovated building, designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, now houses the…

The recently upgraded Marchbank Water Treatment Works takes water from Megget Reservoir 28 miles away and makes it safe for use in homes and industry in West Edinburgh and West Lothian. The processes of ozonisation for colour removal, rapid gravity…