Old Royal High School
The Old Royal High School, also known as New Parliament House, is a 19th-century
After the Royal High School relocated in 1968, the building became available and was refurbished to accommodate a new devolved legislature for Scotland. However, the
With the passage of the
A number of uses have been suggested for the building, including a home for a Scottish National Photography Centre or a site for a Scottish Central Bank in the event of independence. In 2015, Edinburgh City Council, which currently owns the building, initiated a project to lease it to be used as a luxury hotel. However, in 2021, it was announced that the lease to the hotel developers had been cancelled, and a new use was being sought.[3]
Construction and Royal High School
The
The school relocated to larger modern premises at Barnton in 1968.[9]
Scottish devolution
The building was considered by the Scottish Office as a home for the Scottish Assembly.The School's Great Hall was converted to a debating chamber prior to the failed devolution referendum in 1979.[10] In 1994, Edinburgh City Council reacquired the complex from the Scottish Office for £1.75m.[11]
Following the successful referendum in 1997 that led to the formation of the Scottish Parliament, the Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar, accepted an alternative proposal to erect a new Parliament building at Holyrood, reportedly due to concern that the Old Royal High School had become a "nationalist shibboleth".[12] Critics also contended that the Calton Hill site was relatively inaccessible, lacked sufficient office space, and would be difficult to secure against a terrorist attack.[13][14]
The
The nearby Governor's House on Calton Hill had also been proposed as a residence for the First Minister of Scotland instead of Bute House in Edinburgh's New Town.[16]
Prospective and future uses
In 2004, the council gave its support to a plan by former royal press secretary Michael Shea to use the school as a Scottish National Photography Centre at a cost of £20 million. The proposal failed to gain the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, seen as a key funder.[11][17][18]
In 2010, the council announced a plan to use the building as a hotel and public art gallery, described as an "arts hotel". The cost was estimated at £35 million, and Duddingston House Properties (DHP) were awarded the project to prepare a design. DHP were awarded a conditional 125-year lease[19] with the council retaining ownership of the building.[20]
In 2015, another proposal was brought forward to use the building as a luxury hotel at an estimated cost of £55 million.[21] The plan, put forward by DHP and Urbanist Hotels, involved the construction of two additional six-story wings on either side of the building in a modern architectural style. The hotel would be managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.[19][22] It was opposed by Scotland's national heritage agency Historic Scotland,[23] Edinburgh's civic trust, the Cockburn Association,[21] the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, the council's planning department, and over 1,700 people who sent in objections.[24][25][26][27] The Royal High School Preservation Trust also put forward an alternative plan costing over £25 million[28] in 2015 to use the building to house St Mary's Music School.[29] The headteacher of St Mary's, Dr Kenneth Taylor, estimated the cost in the region of £35 million.[30] An American philanthropist, Carol Colburn Grigor, pledged to underwrite this proposal through the Dunard Fund.[31] In 2015, the Dunard Fund gave the Royal High School Preservation Trust £1.5 million held in a restricted reserve which can be released only for expenditure connected to purchasing the building.[32] The Dunard Fund has the power to appoint 5 of the 6 trustees of the Royal High School Preservation Trust.[33] The Fund has two major projects it intends to support and, "therefore, as a matter of strategy, the trustees are retaining a substantial part of available funds at present."[33]
Edinburgh City Council rejected the hotel plans in December 2015,[34] following which the developers appealed the decision to the Scottish Government in 2016[35] but then put the appeal on hold and submitted an alternative reduced plan.[36][37][38] Edinburgh Council accepted plans for the St. Mary's Music School in 2016[39] but the hotel developers said their 2010 contract gave them sole rights to the site until 2022.[37] Over 3,000 people submitted objections to the alternative hotel plan put forward by the developers[40][41] and in August 2017, Edinburgh Council rejected the alternative hotel plan.[42][43] A public inquiry to determine the future use of the building opened on 4 September 2018.[44] During that inquiry, the Director of Edinburgh World Heritage, Adam Wilkinson, admitted to Photoshopping a picture of the proposed hotel development that was shown to the public at a Save the Old Royal High School meeting at Central Hall in Tollcross in March 2017.[45] That meeting was held with the support of both Edinburgh World Heritage and the Cockburn Association.[45] The doctored image showed the proposed extensions to the school as significantly bigger than detailed in the submitted plans, indicating the proposals would have a greater impact on Calton Hill than was put forward by the developers.[45] In 2021, the lease to the hotel developers was cancelled, and Edinburgh Council invited proposals for other uses.[3]
Notes
- ^ "The DofE Award in Edinburgh". The Duke of Edinburgh Award. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "Sport and Outdoor Education - About The Unit". Edinburgh Grid For Learning. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Bidding war opens to decide the future of Edinburgh's Royal High School". The Guardian. 6 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Murray, History, p. 45.
- ^ Barclay, Tounis Scule, p. 60.
- ^ Murray, History, p. 46.
- ^ David Watkin, ‘Elmes, Harvey Lonsdale (1814–1847)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved on 5 September 2007.
- ^ Gavin Stamp, ‘Hamilton, Thomas (1784–1858)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.
- ^ "Former Royal High pupils reunite to mark fifty-year milestone". Edinburgh News. 24 April 2018.
- ^ "New Parliament House from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info.
- ^ a b ‘Royal High to become photography museum’, Sunday Times, 30 September 2001, Home News Section, p. 21 – Scotland News.
- ^ Holyrood Inquiry (3.34), pp. 45-46. Retrieved on 3 September 2007.
- ^ Kenny Farquharson and Joanne Robertson, "Calton Hill backers admit it is too small for parliament", Sunday Times, 2 April 2000, Home News Section, p. 2 – Scotland News.
- ISBN 0-7146-5053-6.
- ^ Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Lords. 12 November 1997. col. 229.
- ^ Gardham, Magnus (7 October 2011). "King of the castle - Alex Salmond set to move into tower of power". Daily Record.
- ^ ‘Holyrood hold-up casts shadow over photography project’, The Times, 11 November 2005, Home News Section, p. 32 – Scotland.
- ^ Michael Blackley, 'Boost for £20m photo centre bid at Royal High'. Edinburgh Evening News, 7 August 2007. Retrieved on 4 September 2007.
- ^ a b "Plans for Royal High School hotel unveiled". BBC News, Edinburgh Fife & East Scotland. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ 'New life' for capital's landmark, BBC News, 3 February 2010. Retrieved on 4 February 2010.
- ^ a b Ferguson, Brian (28 February 2015). "Royal High School hotel plan 'will save building'". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Rosewood Edinburgh to open in 2018". Incentive Travel. ITCM. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ Amos, Ilona (21 September 2015). "Black mark for high school developers". The Scotsman. p. 12. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "Planning Application Comments; 15/03989/FUL | Change of use, alterations to and restoration of principal former Royal High School building." City of Edinburgh Council. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ Morrison, Richard (23 October 2015). "Edinburgh council is wrecking the city with these crass building schemes". The Times. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ Grant, Alistair (15 October 2015). "Over 2000 objections to Royal High hotel plan". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ Ferguson, Brian (3 September 2015). "Battle brewing over Royal High School". The Scotsman. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Ferguson, Brian (7 December 2015). "St Mary's Royal High School concert venue plans unveiled". The Scotsman. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Gourtsyannis, Paris (16 June 2015). "Performances aid music school pitch for Royal High". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Royal High site inquiry gets under way". BBC News. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ Ferguson, Brian (23 April 2015). "Arts backer reveals rival Royal High School bid". The Scotsman. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL PRESERVATION TRUST - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ a b "DUNARD FUND - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "Royal High School hotel plans rejected by Edinburgh councillors". BBC News. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Ferguson, Brian (19 March 2016). "Royal High hotel developers lodge last-ditch appeal". The Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Ferguson, Brian (1 September 2016). "Developers to unveil new plans for Royal High hotel". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Hotel developers launch drastic bid to win planning permission for Royal High". Edinburgh Evening News. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Mcaskill, Mark (16 April 2017). "Fury over luxury hotel 'vandalism' at Royal High". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "Edinburgh's Royal High School could become music school". BBC News. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Wade, Mike (31 August 2017). "Top heritage bodies call for rejection of Old Royal High School hotel plan". Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ [1] Scotsman, 21 August 2017
- ^ Donnelly, Brian (31 August 2017). "Royal High School hotel plan rejected". The Herald Scotland. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ "Edinburgh Royal High School hotel plans rejected". BBC News. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ "Public inquiry to decide former Royal High School site". BBC. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "Edinburgh heritage boss apologises for 'misleading' photograph". Retrieved 21 October 2018.