The Old Royal High School, also known as New Parliament House, is a 19th-century neoclassical building on Calton Hill in the city of Edinburgh. The building was constructed for the use of the city's Royal High School, and gained its alternative name as a result of a proposal in the 1970s for it to house a devolved Scottish Assembly.
After the Royal High School relocated in 1968, the building became available and was refurbished to accommodate a new devolved legislature for Scotland. However, the 1979 devolution referendum failed to provide sufficient backing for a devolved assembly. Its debating chamber was later used for meetings of the Scottish Grand Committee, a House of Commons body consisting of members with Scottish constituencies. Subsequently, the building has been used by various departments of Edinburgh City Council.[1][2]
With the passage of the Scotland Act 1998 and the introduction of Scottish devolution in 1999, the Old Royal High School was again mooted as a potential home for the new Scottish Parliament. Eventually, however, the Scotland Office decided to site the new legislature in a purpose-built structure opposite Holyrood Palace.
A number of uses have been suggested for the building, including a home for a Scottish National Photography Centre or a site for a Scottish Central Bank in the event of independence. In 2015, Edinburgh City Council, which currently owns the building, initiated a project to lease it to be used as a luxury hotel. However, in 2021, it was announced that the lease to the hotel developers had been cancelled, and a new use was being sought.[3]
- ^ "The DofE Award in Edinburgh". The Duke of Edinburgh Award. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "Sport and Outdoor Education – About The Unit". Edinburgh Grid For Learning. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "Bidding war opens to decide the future of Edinburgh's Royal High School". The Guardian. London. 6 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.