Doors Open Day SMC 2024 (SOLD OUT)
About
Stewart’s Melville’s Old College – ‘Neat, Handsome and Commodious’The mid-19th Century Edinburgh skyline was not only dominated by the castle ramparts and cathedral spires, but also the lofty towers and turrets of the new wave of monoliths built not as the palaces of the rich, but to care for the city’s destitute children. These institutions were a marker of Edinburgh’s growing prosperity and the unselfish philanthropy of its citizens.
In 1814 Daniel Stewart, the school’s founder, decreed in his will that the Merchant Company should choose a ‘piece of suitable ground in a healthy situation and having proper supply of soft water’ and ‘erect thereon a Hospital built in the best manner and most approved plan; neat, handsome and commodious.’ And that is exactly what he got when the institution opened in 1855. But how do you teach today in such an historic setting?
Come and discover the hidden history behind one of Edinburgh’s iconic school buildings.
Location
Stewart's Melville College
Queensferry Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3EZ