A Unique Educational Experience in Edinburgh
Victorian classroom sessions, school & group visits in Newhaven.
The History of Education Centre is a wonderful resource for students and people of all ages
The History of Education Centre or The Victorian Schoolroom provides a unique opportunity in Edinburgh to discover the changes that have taken place in schools and domestic life, in particular in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
STOP PRESS!
Book a FREE visit for between 15th and 19th June to learn about Victorian object lessons and Edinburgh’s famous geologist James Hutton.
HEC is offering a week of free school or group visits between the 15th and 19th June, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of James Hutton, the Father of Geology, born here in Edinburgh in June 1726.
Included in the visit will be a Victorian-style geology lesson and a visit to our rock, mineral and fossil collection in the company of experts from the University of Edinburgh’s Geosciences Department.
This is a time-limited offer, so make your booking as soon as you can by emailing histededcentre@gmail.com where you can get further details. There are limited spaces available so be quick.
James Hutton FRSE (1726 – 1797)
Born in Edinburgh, he was a Scottish physician, geologist, naturalist, chemical manufacturer and experimental agriculturalist.
His work helped to establish the basis of modern geology. His theories of geology and geologic time, also called deep time, came to be included in theories which were called plutonism and uniformitarianism.
He studied chemistry, then medicine at Edinburgh and Leyden Universities but he never practised as a doctor, instead becoming a farmer in Norfolk in the 1750s. He returned to Scotland in 1754 to farm in Berwickshire, and acquired a keen interest in geological research. By the time he moved back to Edinburgh in 1767 to live in a house that overlooked Salisbury Crags – with its dramatic intrusions of igneous volcanic rocks – his geological interests had taken over his life.
Hutton’s ‘Theory of the Earth’ appeared in 1788 from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, which had been formed in 1783.
The theory articulated the notion of rock cycles, with old rocks being destroyed by weathering and new ones formed from their sediments.
Various competing schools of geological thought, including the Creationists, poured cold water on Hutton’s theories but his theories had a huge impact and he is now known as The Father of Geology.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Visit us in our authentic Victorian setting
THE HEART OF NEWHAVEN COMMUNITY,
4–6 MAIN STREET, NEWHAVEN,
EDINBURGH EH6 4HY.
Since our move to Newhaven, we have had many visitors: school pupils from Edinburgh and the Central Belt; visitors from Europe; cruise ship visitors; local dementia and Alzheimer’s groups with carers; students; Newhaven residents.
Costs are: £5 per pupil with accompanying adults free, adult groups £8 per person (normally a minimum of 10 people).
Bookings are still open for the school session 2025–26.
Please note that the Victorian Schoolroom is on the first floor of the building up a few short flights of steps. A lift will be installed in the building in the future. Please take this information into account before you book.
We hope to see you all soon, in the Schoolroom.
Victorian teachers outside Parliament before the parade on the Royal Mile for Edinburgh's 900th year
MPORTANT INFORMATION
Visit us in our authentic Victorian setting
THE HEART OF NEWHAVEN COMMUNITY,
4–6 MAIN STREET, NEWHAVEN,
EDINBURGH EH6 4HY.
Since our move to Newhaven, we have had many visitors: school pupils from Edinburgh and the Central Belt; visitors from Europe; cruise ship visitors; local dementia and Alzheimer’s groups with carers; students; Newhaven residents.
Costs are: £5 per pupil with accompanying adults free, adult groups £8 per person (normally a minimum of 10 people).
Bookings are still open for the school session 2025–26.
Please note that the Victorian Schoolroom is on the first floor of the building up a few short flights of steps. A lift will be installed in the building in the future. Please take this information into account before you book.
We hope to see you all soon, in the Schoolroom.
Victorian teachers outside Parliament before the parade on the Royal Mile for Edinburgh's 900th year
Volunteering Opportunities
If you have an interest in education and/or history, enjoy acting and working with children, we would welcome you as a volunteer. Learn more
Funding
We rely mainly on visitors’ fees to cover our running costs. We are very grateful to have received a grant from Museums and Galleries Scotland (MGS) for the History of Education Centre COVID response to update our website and make digital content available to the public. If you would like to make a donation please contact our admin at histedcentre@gmail.com.
Thanks
Our thanks to the organisations that have supported us: The Heart of Newhaven Community, Leith Men’s Shed, Museums & Galleries Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council’s Community Grants Fund. We are very grateful for a grant from the Forth Neighbourhood Network which helped HEC in its move to The Heart at Newhaven. The grant went towards the refurbishment of our Schoolroom.
