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The cloisters at Fettes College

Fettes College

When I worked at Fettes College earlier this year, I found the Gothic architecture really inspiring. It’s such a beautiful building, with so many details to notice that I found myself looking at it differently each time I walked through the grounds.

The cloisters were one of the things that particularly caught my eye. The stone arches, architectural details and changing light make them a lovely subject for an artist — and, naturally, I started thinking about painting them.

A little bit of Fettes College history

Fettes College was designed by the Scottish architect David Bryce and opened as a school in 1870. The main building was constructed between 1864 and 1870 and is a remarkable combination of Franco-Scottish Gothic and Scottish Baronial architecture. It is now a Category A listed building.

The story behind the school goes back much further. Sir William Fettes, an Edinburgh businessman and former Lord Provost, left his fortune to establish a school following the death of his only son, William, in 1815. His bequest eventually provided the foundation for what became Fettes College.

The result is a building that feels rather extraordinary for a school. With its towers, turrets, steep roofs and richly detailed stonework, it has a wonderful presence and is one of those Edinburgh buildings that you could easily spend a long time looking at.

One of the things I found particularly interesting is that the cloistered features are actually part of David Bryce’s original design for the school. They weren’t added later, and Fettes wasn’t built as a religious institution. Instead, the cloister-like arcades form part of the Gothic architectural style Bryce used throughout the building.

When you’re actually standing there, it’s easy to see why these features work so well. The covered walkways, arches and stonework create a sense of enclosure and give the building another layer of character.

Why I love the cloisters

For me, it’s the details that make the cloisters so interesting.

The arches create lovely shapes and shadows, and the stone changes character depending on the light. On a bright day, everything feels crisp and defined; on a dull Edinburgh day, the stone takes on a completely different mood.

That is one of the things I enjoy most about painting buildings and city scenes. It isn't necessarily the building itself that makes me want to paint it. Sometimes it is simply the way the light falls across it.

A doorway.

A window.

A row of arches.

A patch of sunlight on an old stone wall.

Those are often the things that catch my attention.

Fettes College and Edinburgh architecture

Fettes College is particularly interesting because of the way David Bryce brought together different architectural influences. The main building is described as Franco-Scottish Gothic, with cloister features incorporated into the design.

It is also worth looking beyond the famous front of the building. The cloisters and the less obvious architectural details give you a completely different perspective.

Having spent time working there earlier this year made me appreciate this even more. I was seeing the building as part of my everyday surroundings rather than simply as one of Edinburgh’s well-known landmarks — and I think that made me notice all the little things.

Painting Edinburgh

I’m currently working on a collection of Edinburgh cityscapes, so Fettes College has given me plenty of inspiration.

I’m particularly drawn to capturing the details that make a place distinctive — the architecture, the stonework, the shapes and, most importantly, the way the light changes a scene.

I’m naturally curious and love discovering new places, but I also enjoy looking at familiar places in a different way. A building I have walked past many times can suddenly catch my eye because the light is different or I notice a detail I hadn't really seen before.

Fettes was a good reminder of that.

Sometimes you don’t have to travel somewhere new to find something worth painting. You just need to look a little more closely at what’s already around you.

And after spending time at Fettes earlier this year, I’m certainly looking at those Gothic arches a little differently now.