Edinburgh Photo Library
- Scottish Parliament
When the referendum on re-establishing a separate parliament in Scotland was approved (by a substantial majority) the search for suitable accommodation began in earnest. Although there was support for using the former Royal High School of Edinburgh at the foot of Calton Hill (long a symbol of nationalism) the Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar decided that the most cost-effective solution was a new bulding at Holyrood (across the road from the royal palace) and a temporary home in a building overlooking Princes Street which was owned by the Church of Scotland.
The building, designed with towers and turrets in Tudor style by William Playfair, had been built by the Free Church of Scotland as a college and offices in the middle of the 19th century. However, after the reunion of the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland, it was used each year for the church's General Assembly and as the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh.
See also Parliament Buildings for more information and illustrations.
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