Edinburgh World Heritage grant for Surgeons Hall restoration

Edinburgh World Heritage has announced details of a grant which will go towards the restoration of Surgeon's Hall, designed by William Playfair in 1832.

The conservation work forms part of the Lister Project, a £4 million redevelopment of the historic building by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The project will see a re-interpretation of its museum collections, access improvements to buildings, the conservation of its archive and work to help preserve its exterior.

The Edinburgh World Heritage grant of £60,000 is earmarked for work on the external conservation of the building, particularly the original stonework, which is beginning to flake away.

The work consists of some new stone indents, consolidating areas of flaking stonework, and adding lime mortar to repair cracks and joints. Specialist stone conservators have been brought in to work on the building’s decorative frieze. The conservation work began last month and is expected to complete in February.

Once the whole project is complete, a new external trail for Surgeon’s Hall will be launched explaining its architecture for visitors, and using the original archive drawings.

Surgeon's Hall was originally built as a premises for the Royal College of Surgeons, who needed large premises to teach students and house surgical and anatomical examples. The hall opened on 7 July 1832 and cost £15,153.

For more on the work of Edinburgh World Heritage, visit their website.




Modern-day image copyright Kim Traynor; old print courtesy of Peter Stubbs