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

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

References

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