University marks 50 years at its Edinburgh campus
A new photography exhibition celebrating 50 years since Heriot-Watt University relocated to the outskirts of Edinburgh, has opened to the public.
A collection of 50 images are on display at the James Watt Centre, found adjacent to the main reception at the Edinburgh campus.
Heriot-Watt Fifty Years at Riccarton, captures key moments, societies, and former staff and students who have all been part of the Heriot-Watt story over the decades.
It also documents the period when the University moved from Chamber Street in central Edinburgh to the sprawling grounds of the Riccarton Estate located on the western edge of the city.
When the College became a University it was clear that they needed to move.
The images belong to the University’s archives department and have never gone on public display as a complete collection before.
Julia Stephen is the curator of the exhibition based at Heriot-Watt University.
She said: “When the College became a University it was clear that it needed to move.
“There were various options considered but Riccarton became the obvious choice. It offered a huge amount of space to develop a research park to build links with industry, which continues to thrive to this day.
“But it wasn’t without its challenges as there were poor transport links and very few facilities, which thankfully, is no longer the case. But the exhibition offers a fascinating insight to this period and will be of interest not only to our alumni but I’m sure to members of neighbouring communities that may remember when Heriot-Watt arrived.”
Once Heriot-Watt College had become a University in 1966, there was a rapid increase in student numbers and, consequently, a need for additional space.
In 1969, Midlothian Council bought a 248 acre parkland estate at Riccarton, six miles south west of the city centre and gifted it to the University. This became the University's Edinburgh campus. By 1974 the first phase of academic buildings had opened, together with much needed student residences and sports facilities.
The estate was originally home to the Gibson-Craig family of lawyers and politicians but the house had been commandeered by the army in 1939 and then finally demolished in 1956.
The layout was planned in respect of the original landscaping established by the Gibson-Craigs. A spine and spur system of interconnected buildings was chosen to allow easy movement between buildings and brown brick to blend in with the landscaping.
It was completed in May 1992 with the arrival of the electrical engineering and computer science block.
The exhibition will be on display until next summer.
Opening times vary so anyone interested in viewing the archive should email heritage@hw.ac.uk to check availability in advance of their visit.