St Mary's Quad

St Andrews, United Kingdom

This is the historic quadrangle of St Mary's College, University of St Andrews (founded 1410). On entering the quadrangle from South Street, St Mary's College is on the right - now houses the university's Faculty of Divinity. On the left of the gate is Lower Parliament Hall which was temporarily the site of the Scottish Parliament during an outbreak of plague in Edinburgh from 1645-6, and is now used as the University Debating Hall. The building on the left of the Quadrangle is now the School of Psychology, but was formerly the University Library (which was a copyright library 1710-1837). The tree on the right hand side of the Quadrangle was planted by Mary Queen of Scots. This is commonly mistaken for the large oak tree present in the centre of the Quadrangle. On the far side of the Quadrangle is the ruined remains of a gate, now being restored, and beyond that lies the Bute Medical School, dating from 1899. Information panels in the Quadrangle give visitors historical information.