A Teviot Spotify playlist and audio guide memories as historic union reopens after major renovation

“The year above me had it for their Freshers’ Week and then it closed,” says Jamie Burrell, a second year maths student who sits on the board of trustees of the Edinburgh University Students’ Association.

“I hadn’t been in until a Students’ Association visit when it was a building site.”

Now Teviot has officially reopened, boasting redesigned spaces where students can work, relax and socialise.

Changes to the 137-year-old building on Bristo Square include a new lounge, group workspaces and a gallery studio, which will support students’ creative, physical and mental wellbeing, with events, workshops and classes featuring meditation, yoga and crafting.

Union Social, the new bar and restaurant created from the former Sports and Underground bars has transformed the rear of the building, where there is also an accessible entrance. The large, contemporary bar will offer food and drink and serve as an entertainment space, with programming five nights per week featuring live music, DJs, a Sunday-night pub quiz and showing major sporting events year-round.

Local brewer Stewarts has created a bespoke “Robert the Moose” pale ale for the bar, with a nod to Students’ Association mascot, Dusty.

“Teviot has always been at the heart of student life in Edinburgh, so reopening it now, while campus is still buzzing and before exams begin, feels incredibly important,” says Ash Scholz, Students’ Association President.

“We wanted students to have as much time as possible to enjoy the space before the end of term and the summer break.

“Teviot is somewhere to connect, celebrate and take a breather during one of the busiest points in the year. We’re proud to be bringing it back as an inclusive, welcoming space, and we can’t wait to see it full of life again for this final stretch of the academic year.”

Visitors will also be able to hear stories from the building’s history through a self-guided tour they can download through a QR code.

Memories such as when bands Oasis and Deacon Blue played at Teviot on the past are included in the guide. Meanwhile, an official Teviot playlist has been created in association with the university’s alumni, which is available on Spotify.

The 100 songs chosen by Teviot alumni include Chesney Hawkes' The One and Only, the Teddy Bear's Picnic by the BBC Dance Orchestra, a Quiet Pint by the Cheeky Celt and the Spice Girls' Wannabe.Other student union hits which feature on the list are The Proclaimers' I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners and The Corries' version of Flower of Scotland.

An exhibition about the building’s history is also on display through information panels sited on a landing.

“As one of the oldest purpose built student unions in the world, the building has a lot of history associated with it which we wanted to capture in the renovations,” says student Mr Burrell.

Other well-known spaces in the union, including the Library Bar and Debating Hall, remain familiar, with subtle renovations enhancing interiors and restoring heritage features where needed, including extensive renovation of stained glass windows which had been painted over.

First opened in 1889, the building was designed by architects Sydney Mitchell and Ralph Scott and, in what is widely thought to be a global first, created specifically as a place for students to gather.

In the years since, Teviot has remained an iconic feature of student life, establishing itself as a year-round events host and venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “This renovation was driven by the need to carry out essential repairs and upgrades to an iconic building on our campus. It is fantastic to see Teviot so thoughtfully reimagined and ready to welcome visitors once again.”