Woodhall House is a Scottish mansion house, first recorded in 1707. It was also an institution run by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in the late 20th century. It is situated off Woodhall Road in the Juniper Green area of

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 is a category B listed building.

History

Foulis baronets

Juniper Green is first recorded in 1707, when only Baberton House and Woodhall House were the only buildings in the area.Edinburgh past and present
retrieved 24 March 2013 The owner at that time was a William Foulis of the

Foulis baronets There have been three baronetcies created for persons with the surname Foulis, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. The Foulis Baronetcy, of Ingleby in the County of York, was created in the Baronetage of ...

who inherited Woodhall House from Sir John Foulis.Woodhall House 1707-1859
from ''JuniperGreencc.org.uk'' accessed 24 March 2013 Eventually, it passed to Sir James Foulis who owned Woodhall from 1796 to his death in 1842. The house continued to pass down the Liston-Foulis baronets of Colinton until it was sold to Professor Stanley Patrick Davidson.Woodhall House 1858-1959
from ''JuniperGreencc.org.uk'' accessed 24 March 2013 In 1921, Professor Davidson became a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

. He was President of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh from 1953 to 1957. In 1959, he retired and Woodhall House was sold again.

Society of Jesus

In 1959, Woodhall House was bought for £8000 by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

. It originally served as a retreat house for weekend retreats in Ignatian spirituality for working men's

sodalities In Christian theology, a sodality, also known as a syndiakonia, is a form of the "Universal Church" expressed in specialized, task-oriented form as opposed to the Christian church in its local, diocesan form (which is termed ''modality''). In Eng ...

and parish groups as well as being the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

for the proposed Scottish Province of Jesuits. They intended to create a Scottish Province of Jesuits that would extend their pre-existing works in Scotland and would also build a link between Scottish Jesuits and Jesuits working abroad such as in, what was then known as, British Guyana.Woodhall House 1957 – present
from ''JuniperGreencc.org.uk'' accessed 24 March 201315 January 1960
from ''Catholic Herald Archive'' accessed 24 March 2013 The Jesuits built Woodhall Court as a

for Scotland in early September 1963. Fr James Christie SJ from

Sacred Heart Church, Edinburgh Sacred Heart, Edinburgh, formally known as the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a Roman Catholic church run by the Society of Jesus, close to the city centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is situated in Lauriston, mi ...

was the first rector at the novitiate and the prefect of studies was the notable theologian and hymnwriter Fr James J. Quinn SJ. The first Mass in the novitiate chapel was celebrated by the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Cardinal Gordon Gray.6 September 1963
from '' Catholic Herald Archive'' accessed 24 March 2013 By 1964 all the Jesuit

novices A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

in Britain were sent to the house for their training. In 1970, the Jesuit novitiate left Woodhall House and the novices were transferred to

Loyola Hall Rainhill Hall or Loyola Hall is a Grade II listed country house built in the 19th century in Rainhill, Merseyside, England, by Bartholomew Bretherton. It is situated on the Warrington Road, next to St Bartholomew's Church. From 1923 to 2014, ...

outside

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. The Society of Jesus went on to sell Woodhall House in 1976 to a private owner.

Present

Soon after the Jesuits sold the property, Woodhall House was let out to students of

Edinburgh Napier University , mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain , established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College , type = Public , academic_staff = 802 , administrative_staff = 562 , chancellor = Will Whitehorn , ...

and

Moray House School of Education The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood Campus, located between the C ...

. In 1982, it was converted into 17 private residential flats. Woodhall House is privately owned.

References

{{Former Jesuit Places in Britain Category B listed buildings in Edinburgh Catholic Church in Scotland Jesuit universities and colleges in Scotland Former theological colleges in Scotland

History

Foulis baronets

Society of Jesus

Present

See also

References