Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre

The Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre is a category B listed performing arts and lecture theatre located in the historic George Square in Edinburgh. Primarily operated as a lecture theatre for the University of Edinburgh, it is also used for general theatre performances, as well as being a designated Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue. In 2018 the university changed the name of the theatre—previously known as George Square Theatre—in memory of Gordon Aikman, a graduate of the university's business school who raised more than £500,000 for research funding into motor neurone disease. Construction of the modernist style theatre was completed in 1970, and it opened to the general public the same year. Its seating capacity of 481 makes it the university's largest lecture facility and an asset to the busy Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since 2011, and while a venue for the Fringe, the theatre was under the branding of Assembly Group, an events promotion company responsible for the operation of Edinburgh's main Fringe venues, which had moved from their original base at George Street in the city. Subsequently, during the Festival the theatre was branded Assembly George Square Theatre. The theatre's location has allowed its use and popularity to increase, being situated near the Quartermile district development in the grounds of the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, along with the building and development of new University of Edinburgh facilities. The theatre can also be seen and accessed from the Meadows, a large park popular with tourists and students. Due to the building's striking standalone appearance, it has been a popular location for filming and productions, with the facade often changed to suit different purposes.

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Edinburgh University Library

Edinburgh University Library is the main library of the University of Edinburgh and one of the most important libraries of Scotland. The University Library was moved in 1827 to William Playfair's Upper Library in the Old College building. The collections in Edinburgh University Old College were moved in 1967 to the purpose-built eight-storey Main Library building at George Square, one of the largest academic libraries in the world. Today, Edinburgh's university-wide library system holds over 3.8m books, e-books and e-journals in total.

40 George Square

40 George Square is a tower block in Edinburgh, Scotland forming part of the University of Edinburgh. Until September 2020 the tower was named David Hume Tower (often abbreviated as DHT). The building contains lecture theatres, teaching spaces, offices, a café and a shop.

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George Square, Edinburgh

George Square (Scottish Gaelic: Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, and was a popular residential area for Edinburgh's better-off citizens. In the 1960s, much of the square was redeveloped by the University of Edinburgh, although the Cockburn Association and the Georgian Group of Edinburgh protested. Most but not all buildings on the square now belong to the university (among the exceptions being the Dominican priory of St Albert the Great). Principal buildings include the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh University Library, 40 George Square and Appleton Tower.

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Centre for the History of the Book

The Centre for the History of the Book (CHB) was established in 1995 at The University of Edinburgh as an international and interdisciplinary centre for advanced research into all aspects of the material culture of the text - its production, circulation, and reception from manuscript to the electronic text. Founded in 1995 by Bill Bell and Jonquil Bevan. Bell, who was director for almost two decades, was succeeded by Tom Mole.

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