Potterrow Student Centre

55°56′46″N 3°11′17″W / 55.94611°N 3.18806°W / 55.94611; -3.18806

The Potterrow Mandela Centre or Potterrow Student Centre is operated by Edinburgh University Students' Association in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Site and architecture

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] With its distinctive large Plexiglas dome, the building was designed by architects Morris and Steedman and completed in 1973.^[2] The centre was refurbished in 2012.^[3]

Use

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.^[4] In 1986, students voted to rename the centre in honour of imprisoned anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela.^[5]

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.^[6]

Gallery

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

^ "Lost Edinburgh: Bristo Street". www.scotsman.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
^ "Potterrow Development Design and Access Report" (PDF). LDN Architects. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
^ "Potterrow Dome Courtyard". Graham. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
^ Edinburgh University Students' Association, George Square and Potterrow
^ "Nelson Mandela British Honours List". Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives. 23 June 2018.
^ "About Us | Pleasance Edinburgh | Festival, Fringe, Theatre, Comedy, ed Fringe". Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2011.