Queen Margaret University - History

History

Queen Margaret University was founded in 1875, as The Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic Economy, by Christian Guthrie Wright and Louisa Stevenson, both members of the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association. The School was founded as a women-only institution, with twin aims of improving women's access to higher education and improving the diets of working class families. Teaching was initially delivered via lectures at the Royal Museum, supplemented by a programme of public lectures and demonstrations delivered nationwide, but in 1877 the School established a base at Shandwick Place, in Haymarket.

The school moved in 1891 to Atholl Crescent, expanding its courses and offering residential places to students. In 1909, the School was designated a Central Institution and brought under the public control of the Scottish Education Department. The first Principal appointed was Ethel De la Cour. De la Cour retired in 1930, and in the same year the School became the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science.

In 1961, the College acquired its Corstorphine campus, purchasing a portion of the Clermiston estate from developers. The campus was first occupied by the College in 1970, opened by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester who was Patron of the institution until her death in 2004. In 1972, the name Queen Margaret College was adopted to dissociate the College from the narrow field of domestic science. Thereafter, the College broadened its range of courses, especially in the paramedical and healthcare fields. The following institutions have since been absorbed by Queen Margaret College:

• The Edinburgh College of Speech and Drama (established 1929, joined 1971)
• The Edinburgh School of Speech Therapy (established 1946, joined 1975)
• The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh School of Physiotherapy (established 1940, joined 1978)
• The Astley Ainslie Hospital Occupational Therapy Training Centre (established 1937, joined 1979)
• The Edinburgh Foot Clinic and School of Chiropody (established 1924, joined 1984)
• The Edinburgh School of Radiography (established 1936, joined 1992)
• The Edinburgh University Settlement School of Art Therapy (established 1992, joined 1997)

In 1992, the Privy Council granted Queen Margaret College powers to award its own taught degrees, and in 1998, the College was granted full degree powers, which enabled it to award its own research and higher degrees. As a result, in 1999 the College took the name Queen Margaret University College. After further improvements to the college, the institution was awarded full university status, becoming Queen Margaret University in January 2007.