New College: Old and New

Below are two pictures of New College: one old, one new. New College, where I study, houses the School of Divinity which is part of the College of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. Did you get all that?!

A Wee History

New College was built by the esteemed Edinburgh architect William Playfair (who also built the Doric style National Gallery of Scotland seen below New College in the ‘old’ picture). The foundational stone was laid by the celebrated reformer Thomas Chalmers (the first principal) on 3 June 1846 and classes began in November 1850. New College was originally the denominational ‘seminary’ of the Free Church of Scotland. By way of an anecdote, one student recorded in the 1850’s that he paid between £4 and £5 for tuition – how things have changed!

As a result of a series of controversies, in January 1935 New College joined the University of Edinburgh’s Faculty of Divinity – which dates back to the founding of the university in 1583. Today, New College boasts one of the largest theological libraries and attracts students from all over the world.