Athens of the North
University of Edinburgh
The university's buildings trace Edinburgh's architectural story: Robert Adam and William Playfair's Neoclassical Old College, Playfair's neo-Gothic New College on the Mound, Scotland's first purpose-built concert hall, and a Brutalist library by Basil Spence's firm.
- 6Buildings
- 2Traditions
- 1763Oldest · St Cecilia's Hall
- 1967Newest · Edinburgh University Library
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoEdinburgh Airport (EDI)
Edinburgh Airport is west of the city, and the Edinburgh Trams line runs from the terminal straight into the city centre.
- Getting aroundWalking / Bus / Tram
Most university buildings are within walking distance of the Old Town. Lothian Buses and the tram connect the city, though the hills make for good exercise.
- Colors and teams
Edinburgh students call Teviot Row House simply 'Teviot'. The university's Gaelic name is Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann.
6 buildings to stamp
-
Photo: LWYang from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Old College
South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL
Robert Adam designed this grand Neoclassical quadrangle on South Bridge, and William Henry Playfair completed it to a modified design in 1827; the dome came later. It now houses the School of Law and the Talbot Rice Gallery.
- Built
- 1827
- Architect
- Robert Adam and William Henry Playfair
- Style
- Neoclassical
- Today
- School of Law, administration and gallery
-
Photo: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons McEwan Hall
Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AG
Sir Robert Rowand Anderson's domed graduation hall, in Italian Renaissance style, was paid for by the brewer William McEwan and finished in 1897. It is Category A listed.
- Built
- 1897
- Architect
- Robert Rowand Anderson
- Style
- Italian Renaissance
- Today
- Graduation hall
-
Photo: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons New College
Mound Place, Edinburgh EH1 2LX
William Henry Playfair's neo-Gothic towers on the Mound look down on Princes Street Gardens. Opened in 1846 for the Free Church of Scotland, it has been the university's School of Divinity since 1935.
- Built
- 1846
- Architect
- William Henry Playfair
- Style
- Neo-Gothic
- Today
- School of Divinity
-
Photo: TrainingLaura, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons St Cecilia's Hall
50 Niddry Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LG
Completed in 1763, this was Scotland's first purpose-built concert hall. Robert Mylne gave it an oval concert room under a domed ceiling behind a plain Neoclassical front, and today it holds the university's musical instrument collection.
- Built
- 1763
- Architect
- Robert Mylne
- Style
- Neoclassical
- Today
- Concert hall and musical instrument museum
-
Photo: Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Teviot Row House
13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ
Opened in 1889, Teviot is the oldest purpose-built student union building in the world. Sydney Mitchell designed it in a turreted Scottish Baronial style on Bristo Square.
- Built
- 1889
- Architect
- Sydney Mitchell
- Style
- Scottish Baronial
- Today
- Students' union
-
Photo: M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Edinburgh University Library
30 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LJ
The eight-storey Main Library on George Square was designed by J. M. Marshall and Andrew Merrylees of Spence, Glover and Ferguson and opened in 1967. Its long horizontal bands are a fine example of Brutalist library design.
- Built
- 1967
- Architect
- Spence, Glover and Ferguson
- Style
- Brutalist
- Stories
- 8
- Today
- University library
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
2 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Rub David Hume's Toe
Former Edinburgh student David Hume's statue on the Royal Mile has a toe polished bright by students, tourists and passers-by rubbing it for luck. Visitors can give it a rub, though Hume himself was a famous critic of superstition.
Spot the Gilded Youth on Old College
The dome of Old College, added in 1887, is crowned by John Hutchison's gilded statue of Youth. Visitors can look up at it from South Bridge or walk into the quadrangle, which also hosts graduation ceremonies and festival events.
Know University of Edinburgh well?
Students and alumni know the traditions best. Suggest one we're missing, a building worth a stamp, or a fix. Every suggestion is checked against a source before it goes into the app.
More schools around the world
- Aalto University
- Durham University
- King's College London
- KU Leuven
- McGill University
- National Autonomous University of Mexico
- Trinity College Dublin
- University College London
- University of British Columbia
- University of Cambridge
- University of Glasgow
- University of Melbourne
- University of Oxford
- University of Padua
- University of Paris (Sorbonne)
- University of St Andrews
- University of Sydney
- University of Toronto
- Uppsala University
Stamp all 6 on your visit.
Tour University of Edinburgh in 3D before you go, add it to a college road trip and earn a passport stamp at every building. Free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on theApp Store