National Centre for Music, Edinburgh
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Summary
Transforming Edinburgh’s Old Royal High School: Major Refurbishment of Thomas Hamilton’s Category A Listed Buildings
The former Old Royal High School building on Calton Hill is being transformed into Scotland’s National Centre for Music, conserving the Thomas Hamilton designed Category A listed building, while creating a vibrant cultural hub with performance, rehearsal, learning spaces and public gardens. Approved plans aim to revitalise heritage, boost community engagement and attract visitors, enriching Edinburgh’s cultural life.
A
listed building
2,634m2
GIFA
A New Home for Music: Transforming Calton Hill into Scotland’s Cultural Hub
Located on Calton Hill, this unique space will be transformed by the Royal High School Preservation Trust into a fitting home for musicians, choirs, students, providing a resource for the people of Edinburgh and Scotland to come together to experience music across a broad spectrum of styles and disciplines.
Project timeline
Built in 1829, the building underwent significant internal changes in the 1970s by the PSA in preparation to become the National Assembly for Scotland.
An enabling contract to demolish ancillary buildings, remove asbestos, and carry out site investigations was completed in late 2023. The Main Building, Lodge, East Pavilion, and West Pavilion are all included in the refurbishment, which encompasses restoration of both external and internal fabric, layout adjustments, structural alterations, and extensive landscaping and gardens.
Key works include increasing the lower ground floor under and adjacent to the main building to provide foyer and WC areas, creating three performance spaces including a main hall with a specialist moving floor, installing new MEP systems throughout, and delivering a kitchen, bar, and café, all with high-quality finishes.
“We’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has helped us reach this stage in the project, none of which would’ve been possible without the extraordinary founding gift from the Dunard Fund which has allowed us to preserve the heritage of the building and make it accessible for cultural and public benefit.”
