Look closely at this sturdy building. It’s Holland House C. It’s one of several buildings that make up the Pollock Halls of Residence. This residence is home to over 2,000 students during term time and it is open to the public as bed and breakfast-style accommodation outside of the teaching term. That’s quite a lot of people, isn’t it? So many stories going on behind those walls! It’s hard to believe that just a few decades ago, it was open fields and a few old mansions here.
After World War II, Sir Donald Pollock gifted the land to the University of Edinburgh. The first building erected on this site was Holland House, designed by Sir William Kininmonth. He’s the same man who helped create many of the iconic modern buildings that you see around Edinburgh. The project was quite ambitious. It was intended to be a huge complex that would house thousands of students.
It wasn’t as seamless as they wanted it to be, and it took many changes and additions to bring the project to life. They did have to compromise a bit. There’s a lot of history within these walls. Holland House has seen a lot of change and, for many students, it’s been a launching pad for success. Now, let’s move on to the next stop of our tour…