St Andrew's House

City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Heritage registerBritish Listed Buildings↗

Perched on the southern flank of Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, St Andrew's House is the Scottish Government's headquarters, designed by architect Thomas S. Tait in the Art Deco style and completed in 1939. When finished, it was the largest metal-framed building in Europe and represented the first time Scottish government departments were consolidated under one roof in Edinburgh. The six-story structure accommodates 1,600 civil servants and houses offices for the First Minister, Deputy First Minister, and Permanent Secretary. Built on the site of the former Calton Jail, the building preserves the turreted Governor's House from the original prison, while graves of ten murderers from the jail remain beneath its car park. A category A listed building, St Andrew's House stands as a significant monument to mid-twentieth-century Scottish governance and architectural ambition.