Opening of University Union, 1889

The University Union in Teviot Row House was opened in 1887-88. It is is the oldest purpose built student union in the world.

Following its formation in 1884, the Students' Representative Council set as its first priority the opening of a University Union. Buoyed by its successful contribution to the Tercentenary Festival, the SRC set about public fundraising. Over, £10,000 paid was raised by a Fancy Fair at Waverley Market in November 1886. The new Union was built very much on the lines of a Victorian gentleman's club. It included a restaurant, library, and debating hall, which would become both a meeting place for many university societies and a venue for dances and other social events. Membership was by subscription, however, and only a small minority of students joined. Medical students were initially in a great majority, as the Union premises in Teviot Row adjoined the newly opened Medical School.