General view of front elevation of Moray House, 174 Canongate, Edinburgh, from NE.

Description General view of front elevation of Moray House, 174 Canongate, Edinburgh, from NE.

Date 20/8/2013

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number DP 160521

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Moray House is one of several similar 17th-century mansions which were built on Canongate by aristocrats and merchants. Dating from c.1625, it was built for Mary, Dowager Countess of Home, possibly designed by William Wallace, and in 1643 it passed to the Dowager Countess's daughter, the Countess of Moray. The Countess's arms and monogram are contained in the pediment above the central first-floor window on the south elevation of the original wing. These windows originally had a corbelled balcony at first floor to match the one seen here on the Canongate elevation with its cast-iron railings. The nine-bayed wing adjoining to the left was added shortly after it passed to the Countess of Moray, in c.1649. The British Linen Bank occupied the building between 1753 and 1790, and a three-storeyed, five-bayed south wing was added 1753-4. The building passed to the North British Railway Company in 1845, before becoming the Free Church Normal School from 1849, when the windows to this elevation were altered. The tall pyramidal gate piers (right) were built in the late 17th century, with decorative wrought-iron gates and arch above. Moray House College of Education's origins began with the establishment of the Free Church of Scotland's Normal and Sessional School in 1848 at Moray House itself. The need for more teachers following the formalisation of education with the 1872 Education Act saw a dedicated training Department set up in 1878-9. The government took on the responsibility of educational training provision from the church in 1905. It was not until 1959 that Moray House College of Education was formally established, and it has subsequently been an associated part of Heriot Watt University before becoming the University of Edinburgh's Faculty of Education from 1998 on.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1348357

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap