The refurbished St Cecilia’s Hall is a musical jewel in Edinburgh’s crown
EDINBURGH can boast many architectural gems, most of which dominate the city’s skyline. However,there’s one in the Cowgate that’s not so much in the public eye – yet it could trump them all.
Commissioned by the Edinburgh Musical Society and designed by Robert Mylne, St Cecilia’s Hall was completed in 1763 and became Scotland’s first purpose-built concert hall. St Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. Could there be a more fitting name for such a building?
Since its construction the building has had many uses, including a school, a masonic lodge and a dance hall. Now, after a £6.5 million development by the University of Edinburgh, aided by private funding and National Lottery support, it serves as a musical instrument museum. Its unique distinction is the fact that it is the only venue in the world where it is possible to hear 18th-century musical instruments played in an 18th-century hall.
The hall’s four exhibition galleries showcase more than 400 instruments from the university’s outstanding collection.
Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av The Scots Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av The Scots Magazine.
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