[12] During the nineteenth century, part of the original open area to the west of St John's Street and north of the South Back was occupied by breweries.

In response to the shortage of teachers in Scotland in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Moray House looked to the possibility of building additional teaching facilities close to the existing estate at Holyrood.

Chessel's Land was one of three buildings designed by architects Graham and Dey and constructed in the early 1970s; it opened in January 1974.

[15] Chessel's Land was designed as a specialist centre for the training of teachers in the Visual Arts, including painting, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, photography and jewellery.

In 1964, draft plans for a ten-storey teaching block were drawn up by the architects, Gordon & Dey, to be built adjacent to the west side of St John Street.

Subsequent delays arising from industrial disputes meant the facility wasn't handed over until February 1969.

The front of Charteris Land boasts a sculptured wall (and a fourth panel), which were commissioned from David Miller, a member of staff at Moray House.

The four panels all symbolise an aspect of educational theory:[13] Dalhousie Land is the library and ICT centre on Holyrood campus.

This new building was opened on 2 May 1963 by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Very Reverend Dr Neville Davidson, and was named Dalhousie Land.

The refurbishment plans involved the retention of the original concrete container of the swimming pool, which was redesigned to house the periodicals collection.

The current ground floor is at the level of the original edge of the swimming pool, and now houses the main stock area and Service Desk.

It stands on the site of the old drying green originally provided by the Earl of Wemyss to the residents of St John's Street in the 18th century.

The City issued the Governors of Moray House in 1979 with a notice to demolish the Old Kirk's adjacent Hall, which had become dangerous.

The building boasts massive obelisks flanking the gate and two very fine rooms up a turnpike stair, with elaborate original plaster ceilings and 18th Century panelling.

The Cromwell Room has an 18th-century decorative scheme involving neoclassical Roman scenes by Roderick Chalmers and James Norie.

[21] A suite of vaulted rooms had access to the garden, which was landscaped with terraces, mount, walks, and a wilderness.

[22] In May 1650, the house was used for the wedding party of Mary Stuart and Lord Lorne, and it is said that the family and Archibald Johnston watched the captive Earl of Montrose being taken up the High Street.

The building was converted to become the School Reception and Moray House College Archive in 1999 by Lewis and Hickey.

This child-centred approach required furniture, toilets, and even coat pegs to be designed specifically for small children.

For many years it hosted Chapters restaurant but this has now closed and been replaced by Levels cafe on Holyrood Road.

[26] Originally built as the New Training College (1911–14) off Holyrood Road by architect Alan K Robertson and designed to be a teacher-training centre for 800 students.

This was a prestigious development unusual in Edinburgh at that time consisting as it did of three or four storey tenements each with its own front door.

Instead the entire building was gutted and only the existing facades and the south west turret stair were retained.

The restored building contained studios for the teaching of Speech and Drama, staff studies and seminar rooms and a large proscenium theatre.

The Moray House Theatre was licensed for "public performances of plays and entertainment" and could seat an audience of up to 256.

It houses the Physical Education and Sports science departments, and has a swimming pool, laboratory and gymnasia.

However the relocation of the Physical Education department from its Cramond campus in July 2001 necessitated the expansion and refurbishment of the existing buildings.

[7] The opportunity was taken not only to enlarge St Leonard's Land with a wrap-around academic addition to the north and east sides but to add a six-lane 25-metre research and teaching swimming pool.

The architects planned the original 1970s building to be unified by a concourse that spanned Holyrood Road, linking St Leonard's Land to a Library and Theatre.

In the mid-seventies, these grandiose plans were shelved leaving St Leonard's Land somewhat isolated on the far side of a busy road.