Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh)

Assembly Rooms

The Assembly Rooms
Coordinates 55°57′11″N 3°11′57″W / 55.9530°N 3.1991°WCoordinates: 55°57′11″N 3°11′57″W / 55.9530°N 3.1991°W
Listed Building – Category A
Designated 13 January 1966
Reference no. 27567
Location in central Edinburgh

The Assembly Rooms are in central Edinburgh. Originally solely a meeting place for social gatherings, it is now also used as an arts venue and for public events, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Hogmanay celebrations. There are four rooms that are used year-round and are available for private functions: Music Hall, Ballroom, Supper Room and Edinburgh Suite. The building is protected as a category A listed building as "an outstanding example of the late 18th century public building, continuing its original use".[1]

History

The Assembly Rooms opened on 11 January 1787 for the Caledonian Hunt Ball.[2] The building was funded by public subscription, costing over £6,000.[1] The prominent site at the centre of George Street, in the centre of the recently established New Town, was donated by the town council.[1] The Assembly Rooms was designed by John Henderson, a local architect, who died young shortly after the building was completed.[1]

The building was extended several times during the 19th century. In 1818 a portico was added by William Burn. Burn and his partner David Bryce designed the Music Hall in 1843. Finally, in 1907, new side wings were completed to designs by Robert Rowand Anderson and Balfour Paul.[1]

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Every year the Assembly Rooms are used as one of the major venues for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As well as the original four rooms, there are several other venues that host shows under the Assembly name during the Fringe, including Assembly Hall, a 790 seat theatre on the Mound that was formerly the home of the Scottish Parliament.[3]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "54 George Street and 53a Rose Street, Assembly Rooms and Music Hall: Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Assembly Rooms Edinburgh - The History". assemblyroomsedinburgh.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  3. ↑ Bennett, Steve (2005-05-12). "BBC - Comedy Blog - For Odd's Sake". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-20.