Filming Locations

The University has a large historic campus and the Festivals Office can facilitate your location needs.  We will help you identify your ideal location, liaise and negotiate on your behalf and even help manage your shoot on the day.

Recent productions that have used University of Edinburgh locations include John Landis's Burke and Hare with Simon Pegg, Mausam (Bollywood film) Case Histories for BBC (adaptation of the Kate Atkinson novels), RBS commercial, HSBC commercial and BBC documentary - Men of Rock.

University of Edinburgh film Location Guide

Popular locations at a glance:

George Square Gardens
George Square Gardens were originally laid out in 1766 and offer a unique and very attractive location for filming or as a venue for open-air performance in the centre of the city. The Gardens have proved during previous Fringe Festivals to be a versatile and stimulating performance space, but it is also maintained to a high standard through the year showing off its classical Georgian layout.

McEwan Hall
McEwan Hall is the magnificent home of the University graduation ceremonies and flagship lectures. With its dramatic interior and grand organ McEwan Hall has been a spectacular back drop for all manner film and tv projects. It has also hosted the live broadcast of Most Haunted and the annual TV Festival “MacTaggart Lecture”. In the basement of the McEwan Hall there are also some very atmospheric (and slightly clinical) corridors that are very versatile filming locations as well.

Medical Faculty
The University of Edinburgh Medical Faculty offers some exciting and unique spaces for filming and site specific theatre or installations. During Fringe 2007 the medical faculty was used for two British Council theatre pieces where both the Traverse Theatre and Volcano Theatre Company were accommodated in August. In 1880 the building of the Medical Faculty at Teviot Place commenced and was completed by 1884. It has an atmospheric and historic feel to it and would be a perfect location for any period or current feature film location.

St Cecilia’s Hall
The Hall was built in 1763 for the Edinburgh Musical Society to the design of Robert Mylne and is the oldest purpose built concert hall in Scotland. This unique Hall is hidden on the Cowgate and is one of the University’s best kept secrets. Due to the nature and under exposure of this building it is an excellent choice for a filming location.

Old College Tunnel
Discovered a few years back this tunnel lies underneath what is now the Law Faculty in the University’s Old College. This very atmospheric space is thought to have been the route through which the dead body of the notorious body snatcher William Burke was brought to be publicly dissected in one of the University’s largest Anatomy Lecture Theatres (Room 270). The Tunnel is now sadly blocked off but thought to have run down to a back yard of a tenement on the Cowgate.

Room 270 (Old Anatomy Lecture Theatre)
Situated on the second floor in the North West corner of the Old College, Room 270 is the remaining part of what was one of the University’s biggest lecture theatres. It was used for University students and also for public viewings of dissections. At present it can seat 150 people, however it has been somewhat dissected itself now as it used to span down another floor matching up with the tunnel where the cadavers were brought up from to be dissected. It’s an interesting place to film as it has still got the original cornicing on the roof and has a lot of history.

Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Teviot
George Square Theatre is the University’s main Lecture Theatre built in 1970. It is also a long established Festival venue situated on an elegant Georgian garden in the heart of the campus. Recently refurbished, George Square Theatre is very close to Teviot Row and the Meadows are also just a short walk away
As a filming location George Square Lecture Theatre can be used both as a lecture Theatre and as a working theatre.

Old College Quad
Old College Quad is situated on South Bridge. The foundation stone was laid in 1789 however it was not completed until 1877 when the dome was added. Several pieces of feature film have been filmed in Old College Quad including the German film ‘Starting Over’ starring Rutger Hauer.
Old College Quad is also used as a fringe venue in August, when it becomes the largest nd most atmospheric outdoor venue on the Fringe.

Playfair Library
The Playfair Library can be found in the first floor of Old College. It is regarded as one of Scotland’s finest public rooms. Serving its purpose as a library from the 1820’s – 1960’s it now plays host to many a dinner and prestigious event. The space is very grand and is so versatile that it can still be used as a location for a library or anything else that the venue my suit.

Talbot Rice Gallery
Built in the 1970’s Talbot rice Gallery is a beautiful and versatile space with three different exhibiting areas. The White Gallery is a more modern contemporary space, the other spaces including the Georgian Gallery have a neo classical feel to them and house the permanent collections of the gallery.

St Leonard’s
St Leonard’s Hall at Pollock Halls of Residence was built in 1869 by John Lessels. The building has a lion bracketed oriel over the entrance and a four storey tower. The inside features a carved stair with birds and beats and stencil work by Tomas Bonnar. In recent years a more contemporary halls of residence and conferencing centre has been built behind St Leonard’s. This location can therefore offer a contemporary and historical look for any film location.

George Square Theatre
George Square Theatre is the University’s main Lecture Theatre built in 1970. It is also a long established Festival venue situated on an elegant Georgian garden in the heart of the campus. Recently refurbished, George Square Theatre is very close to Teviot Row and the Meadows are also just a short walk away
As a filming location George Square Lecture Theatre can be used both as a lecture Theatre and as a working theatre.

Other locations
As the University has such a vast campus we have a lot of other locations that are not detailed above. These locations can include various halls of residence, libraries, lecture theatres, walkways, staircases, corridors, dining halls/ canteens and many more so please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding any filming location queries that you may have.