27 September 2025 (09:30 - 12:00)
This year we celebrate the 170th anniversary of the opening of Daniel Stewart’s Hospital for 50 destitute boys.
In 1870 the Edinburgh Merchant Company turned the Hospital into a fee-paying day school and changed the name to Daniel Stewart’s College remodelling the building into a state-of-the-art teaching institution.
The old open courtyard at the north side of the building was eventually roofed over and this reopened in 2007 following a multi-million pound rebuild to create a Performing Arts Centre. There are other fine rooms such as the library, formerly the Chapel and the Principal’s Study.
The Old College and Queensferry Road campus remains one of the finest education estates in Edinburgh, ably demonstrating the transition in the design of school buildings to accommodate prevailing educational requirements.
Today Stewart’s Melville College is the home to a unique archive collection which illuminates the development of education from the early 19th Century to the present day. Visitors will be given access not only to the Old College buildings but also an exhibition of selected archive material. 2025 / 2026 will be a special year as we prepare for the merger of Mary Erskine School with Stewart’s Melville College and the amalgamation of the senior school at the Queensferry Road Campus. This will last chance to take a look at the College in its role as an all-boys school.

Activities
Guided tours of the old school buildings and a visit to a temporary exhibition of archive material. Refreshments will also be provided.
Booking Required - please book you place via this link https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FDUZ

2025 Theme - Architectural Heritage: Windows to the Past, Doors to the Future
It is hard to believe that our wonderful Old College was designed 170 years ago as a ‘total institution’ for the wellbeing of destitute children. It is now both symbolic of the 19th C philanthropy of the city and the continuing investment into an education system that is renowned across the world. In 2026 the building will witness another notable milestone in the development of the College as the doors will open to a co-educational senior school cohort. Our story continues.

Wander through the school in this interactive 360 degree tour!
Wheelchair Access to the first floor at the Old College is limited

Address
ESMS - Stewart's Melville College, Queensferry Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3EZ