Arts & Culture \ New Home for St Mary's Music School, Edinburgh Park

St Mary’s Music School began as the song school for St Mary’s Episcopalian Cathedral in 1880. In 1972 it was transformed into a specialist music school with residential and day pupils. It is one of five schools in the UK, (and the only one in Scotland), which receive special UK government funding to promote musical - and in particular instrumental - teaching for young people under 18. There is a school rollcall of about 65 many of whom are boarders. The school still provides choristers who sing the daily services at St Mary’s Episcopalian Cathedral.

Between 2015 and 2023 we worked on proposals to integrate the school into the proposed National Music Centre in the former Royal High School, Calton Hill, but that particular plan collapsed in 2023. We were then asked by St Marys Music School, working with Parabola of Edinburgh Park, to design a purpose built music school in the centre of the park and adjacent to the tram. The building proposed was five storeys, administration on the ground floor, teaching on the next three floors and accommodation on the top floor. The essence of the design was that all spaces (except residential) revolve around a central stepped atrium space with the auditorium (also available for public events and for hire) at one end and the school refectory and a garden and playground at the other. In this way all the activities of the school could be both seen and potentially interact. 

Occupying a compact site adjacent to the tram and near the tram stop, the five-storey building would also have had walled gardens to north and south. Entrance was from the west with a secondary entrance from the east. It was imagined that the auditorium would also be available to outside groups and the general public for concerts and social occasions and also function as a recording studio. Seating accomodated 200 with bleacher seating at either end.

This project is not being progressed.