Edinburgh’s former veterinary college has become a many-roomed arts complex without erasing the building’s educational and scientific character.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built 1909–1916; major modern additions 1969–1971; arts use from 2011
- Architect / designer
- David McArthy; Alan Reiach, Eric Hall and Partners
- Type
- Edwardian Baroque veterinary college with later New Brutalist teaching and laboratory blocks
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB48536)
- OS grid reference
- NT 26253 72485
Architecture and continuing use
An eleven-bay Edwardian Baroque front anchors a deep institutional site. Behind it, later concrete laboratory and treatment blocks add a forceful New Brutalist layer, while former teaching rooms have become studios, galleries and venues.
Its story
The Royal Dick veterinary school moved here during the First World War and remained until 2011. Creative organisations then occupied the complex, retaining room names and visible traces of veterinary teaching.
Why it is included
Summerhall demonstrates how a large specialist institution can sustain cultural production through adaptive reuse while preserving evidence of both Edwardian and post-war architecture.
What to notice
- The formal entrance range facing the Meadows.
- The contrast between stone Baroque work and concrete later blocks.
- Veterinary names and fittings retained within repurposed rooms.
Reading the surroundings
Access varies by exhibition, performance, tenant and hospitality space. Check the venue programme and accessibility information; studios and work areas may be private.
Timeline
- Built 1909–1916 The Royal Dick veterinary school moved here during the First World War and remained until 2011.
- Present Independent arts, performance, studio, hospitality and creative-work complex.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Ownership and organisational arrangements have evolved since 2025; the reviewed current evidence confirms continuing arts use but individual tenants and programmes can change.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Summerhall, LB48536 — Designation category, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural interest.
- Summerhall — Current programme, visitor functions, venue identity and access information.
- University of Edinburgh: the Dick Vet Way — Official history of the veterinary college at Summerhall from 1916 to 2011 and its subsequent arts use.
Location
OS grid reference NT 26253 72485 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies a mapped National Grid Reference and a current official operator, responsible public body or institutional source confirms the Place relationship and present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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