Lauriston ( ) is an area of central

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

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

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

and the

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

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

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) was established in 1729, and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on, the Empire."In Comi ...

, 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 Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE FRIBA Royal Scottish Academy, RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David B ...

-designed complex. The Infirmary operated as a voluntary hospital 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 and Partners (also Foster + Partners) is a British international architecture firm with its headquarters in London, England. It was founded in 1967 by British architect and designer Norman Foster. The firm has been involved in the desig ...

, resulting in the £750 million

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

branded as the

Quartermile Quartermile is the marketing name given to the Mixed-use development, 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 fro ...

. As of 2021, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

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, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

is located in Lauriston Place opposite the Old Royal Infirmary. Founded by royal goldsmith George Heriot, 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, George Heriot's School 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