Old photograph of the Hostel for Women Students in Edinburgh, Scotland. In spite of the outbreak of the First World War two of the hostels became available to students in October 1916 with the third opening in the 1916 to 1917 session. Sir Alfred Ewing, Principal of Edinburgh University, formally opened the campus on 1st June 1917. The five hostels were named after famous Scots or Scottish families: Balfour: Lord Balfour, then Chancellor of Edinburgh University; Buchanan: The Buchanan family, in recognition of its contribution to the arts and humanities in Scotland; Playfair: The Playfair family for its contribution to science, mathematics and architecture; Carlyle: Thomas Carlyle, writer and historian; Darroch: Professor Alexander Darroch, Bell Professor of Education at Edinburgh University, and Chairman of the Edinburgh Provincial Committee for the Training of Teachers from 1909 to his unexpected death on the island of Jura in 1924. He was a key figure in the establishment of the Hostels Association.
The hostels provided each student with an individual study bedroom, heated by an open fireplace. A number of small apartments, fitted with sinks, electric irons, kettles etc, were provided on the bedroom floors for students' use. Each hostel had a spacious dining room‘to which is attached a servery and kitchen, equipped with an efficient and up to date installation for cooking by coal and steam’. For general use hostels had common rooms and libraries. Electric lighting was installed throughout but there was no central heating.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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