Former church, Martyrs Kirk, transformed into Research Library

For church to research…

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Former North Street church Martyrs Kirk has been “preserved and re-fitted” by the University into a state-of-the art Research Library.

According to the University Press Office, “The Research Library consists of two reading rooms: a Research Reading Room occupying the former church, and a Special Collections Reading Room in the church hall. At the rear of the building is a Seminar Room for Special Collections staff to use in their engagement work with the collections, and in palaeography teaching.”

The then vacant church was purchased by the University from the Church of Scotland in the summer of 2012. The renovation took little over a year to complete. Donations from the New Park Educational Trust funded the remodeling of the church, which still retains its original pulpit and organ pipes.

A statement published by the University Press lauded the project’s architects Page & Park of Glasgow who worked alongside the University’s Estates and Library teams. “The design was achieved with great sensitivity to the church architecture and respect for the building’s former purpose and traditions,” the University Press Office stated.

The Research Reading Room, designated for use by Postgraduate Research students and University staff, opened on 30 September. Exclusivity isn’t entirely the name of the game as the Special Collections Reading Room, opening on 2 December, will be available to the public.

In the meantime, the University is reportedly working to return to the Main Library the 14,000 linear metres of Special Collections materials that are being temporarily housed off-campus.

Images courtesy of st-andrews.ac.uk