Potterrow Student Centre

The Potterrow Mandela Centre or Potterrow Student Centre is a students' union building in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Potterrow Student Centre
Potterrow in 2018
Alternative namesPotterrow Mandela Centre
General information
TypeStudents' union building
AddressBristo Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9AL
Completed1973
OwnerUniversity of Edinburgh
Design and construction
Architecture firmMorris and Steedman

The building is operated by Edinburgh University Students' Association. The name "Potterrow" recalls a medieval suburb which stood outside the town walls. Its Victorian buildings and street layout disappeared when the University demolished the area for redevelopment in the mid 1960s.[1]

Potterrow contains a variety of student entertainment and support services including a shop, a bank, two cafés, Edinburgh's largest nightclub, the University's Chaplaincy, The Advice Place and the main EUSA offices.[2]

During the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, the building is used as a comedy venue under the name Pleasance Dome with five performing spaces, operated by the Pleasance Theatre Trust.[3]

In 1986, students voted to rename the centre in honour of imprisoned anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela.[4]

With its distinctive large Plexiglas dome, the building was designed by noted architects Morris and Steedman and completed in 1973.[5] The centre was refurbished in 2012.[6]

  • Potterrow as the 'Pleasance Dome' during the 2018 Fringe Festival
  • Interior and dome in 2014 following renovations
  • The University Chaplaincy in 2017
  • Festival Fringe interior in 2006

References
  1. "Lost Edinburgh: Bristo Street". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. Edinburgh University Students' Association, George Square and Potterrow
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Nelson Mandela British Honours List". Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives. 23 June 2018.
  5. "Potterrow Development Design and Access Report" (PDF). LDN Architects. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  6. "Potterrow Dome Courtyard". Graham. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
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