Lauriston ( ) is an area of central

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and home to a number of significant historic buildings. It lies south of Edinburgh Castle and the

Grassmarket The Grassmarket is a historic market place, street and event space in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Location The Grassmarket is located direct ...

, and north of The Meadows public park. Lauriston is the former location of the

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

, which moved to the area in 1879 in search of fresher air at the edge of the city. Rather than build entirely new facilities, the Infirmary incorporated George Watson's Hospital into the new

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

-designed complex. The Infirmary operated as a

voluntary hospital Voluntary hospitals were created from the eighteenth century in England. In America, Ireland, and Australia, voluntary hospitals were established later. They can be distinguished from municipal hospitals, which were publicly owned, and private hosp ...

and teaching hospital for the

University of Edinburgh Medical School The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinar ...

until 2003, when operations were moved and the buildings sold to a private developer. The complex underwent major renovations to a design by architects

Foster and Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide ...

, resulting in the £750 million mixed-use development branded as the

Quartermile Quartermile is the marketing name given to the mixed use redevelopment of the former Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site, in Lauriston, Edinburgh. It was master-planned by architect Foster + Partners and takes its name from the fact it is a qua ...

. As of 2021, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

is investing £120 million to convert the remaining main Infirmary buildings to house the ''Edinburgh Futures Institute'', an interdisciplinary academic hub. Lauriston is also home to the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

in its campus based on Lauriston Place. In 2017 it acquired the former headquarters of the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service including the Museum of Fire.

George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is a Scottish independent primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. ...

, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

primary and

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

is located in Lauriston Place opposite the Old Royal Infirmary. Founded by royal goldsmith

George Heriot George Heriot (15 June 1563 – 12 February 1624) was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as the founder of George Heriot's School, a large independent school in Edinburgh; his name has also been given to H ...

, the school's main building from the mid-to-late 17th century is one of the finest remaining Scottish examples of late

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

. File:Simpson Loan, Quartermile Development, Edinburgh.JPG, Quartermile streets File:3W6A4986.jpg,

File:George Heriot School North Side.jpg,

File:Lonsdale Terrace, Lauriston Edinburgh.JPG, Houses in Lauriston overlooking The Meadows File:St. Catharine's Convent, Lauriston Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 1749658.jpg, St Catharine's Convent, Lauriston Gardens

References

External links

Quartermile, EdinburghEdinburgh College of ArtMuseum of Fire
{{coord, 55, 56, 42, N, 3, 11, 49, W, region:GB, display=title Areas of Edinburgh