First published in The Herald on 29 July, 2015
Is there any school building in any city — and I mean globally — that occupies a more astounding location? This is not parochial hyperbole talking. Edinburgh’s Old Royal High School sits resplendent against the south face of Calton Hill, its broad neoclassical facade looking out uninterrupted over Arthur’s Seat. The aspect is staggering. Purely as a piece of architecture, it’s the jewell in the crown of Georgian Edinburgh: Thomas Hamilton’s master statement that, along with Nelson’s Column and the Parthenon-inspired National Monument atop Calton Hill, earned the city its nickname ‘The Athens of the North’. And yet arguably more important is the building’s symbolism as a place of learning. Step out of its monumental doors as a student and the world lies at your feet.