Victoria Quay, Edinburgh

Victoria Quay (VQ) (Cidhe Bhictòria in Scottish Gaelic) is a Scottish Government building situated in Leith, Edinburgh, relatively close to the HRY Britannia museum ship.

Victoria Quay
Scottish Gaelic Cidhe Bhictòria
Front elevation of Victoria Quay
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Government building
Location	Victoria Quay
Address	Victoria Quay, Leith
Town or city	Edinburgh
Country	Scotland
Current tenants	Scottish Government
Construction started	1993
Opened	1996
Other information
Parking	672 car parking spaces (incl. 79 for visitors)
Public transit access	Nearest railway terminal: Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Website
Scottish Government

History

The building was set on redeveloped dockland and housed parts of what was then known as the Scottish Office. With the advent of parliamentary devolution in 1999, these offices became part of the then Scottish Executive, now the Scottish Government. It was intended that some 1,500 civil servants would work at Victoria Quay.^[1]

The building was designed by Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall, and there are some prominent nods to naval architecture in the design. Its construction began in 1993, and it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on Monday 1 July 1996.^[2][3]

This building launched Leith's regeneration programme proper. New luxury flats, converted bond warehouses, bistros, bars, and restaurants followed. Until Victoria Quay opened, most of these official posts were at New St. Andrew's House (NSAH) on James Craig Walk, Jeffrey Street and Brandon Street in central Edinburgh. New St. Andrew's House (NSAH) was closed in phases from 1995 to 1996 as a result of the presence of asbestos in the building, and lay empty until demolition in 2017.^[4]

References

1. Fontoynont, Marc (2014). Daylight Performance of Buildings. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1134257065.
2. "Scottish Government (Victoria Quay)". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
3. "Victoria Quay, Edinburgh". Edinburgh Architecture. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
4. "Demolition of Edinburgh's most unloved landmark". The Herald. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2022.

55°58′41.45″N 3°10′24.48″W