The University Observatory in St Andrews comprises of a variety of telescopes ranging from 6cm to 94cm in size and from 1 year to 100 years in age. It is centred around teaching, research, and outreach. The observatory is an outpost of the astronomy group at the School of Physics & Astronomy in St Andrews. It can be found at +56 degrees latitude, -2.8 degrees longitude, and at an altitude of 30m. For further information, see here.
The Bute Medical School is a stunning establishment that evidences the great history of Medicine at St Andrews. Even though earliest evidence of the University Granting M.Ds stretches back to 1721, the Building was only founded in 1897. Designed by the architects Gillespie & Scott, construction was completed in 1899.
Although now a mere shadow of its former self, this ruined Roman Catholic cathedral, located in St Andrews, Fife, was built in 1158 as the largest church ever to been constructed in Scotland during its time. Construction went on for over a century. As the headquarters of the Scottish Medieval Catholic Church, the cathedral served as the seat of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews. According to legend, St Regulus, also known as St Rule, is responsible for delivering St Andrew’s relics to this pocket of Scotland from Patras, Greece. Operations continued as normal until 1559 when the Scottish Reformation resulted in the abolition of Catholic Mass, which then led to the ransacking of the cathedral. Eventually, the place was subjected to abandonment in 1561, causing it to fall into a derelict state of decay. By the late 16th century, chunks of the leftover ruins were whisked away from the site following the collapse of the centre tower and the north wall. In 1826, the ruins finally received adequate attention. Today, St Andrews Cathedral is in the custody of Historic Scotland and open for endless exploration along with a museum. For more information on the Cathedral, see here.
St Andrews Cathedral, c. 2015. (Abolished)
St Andrews Cathedral from the East in about 1880
So'gait port (South Street), now called West Port, is one of few surviving town "Ports" in Scotland (the Lowland Scots word for a town gate) and is a scheduled monument. It was built by Thomas Robertson at around 1859 but was completely refurbished in 1843 by the Provost and Mr. John Grant of Kilgraston. Its design is based on that of the Netherbow in Edinburgh. The West Port sits at the lower end of one of the towns’ three premier streets. The view from the west shows an impressive monumental quality while the view from the east forms a natural boundary to the town's historic core. It is still in use for passage, and thus preserves some of the aesthetic effect of an archway. The West Port remains a notable structure, contributing positively to the historic fabric of Scotland's oldest university town.
Thomas Rodger (1832-1883) was the first professional photographer in St Andrews, famous for his portrayals of the town, its people, and visitors. He studied chemistry at Madras College and is thought to have been an exceptional student. Rodger gave up medicine for a career in photography having been persuaded by Dr John Adamson since Chemistry was closely linked to photography during that time. He started as a ‘calotypist’ but would later move on to the Collodion Process in photography. By 1855, Rodger had become widely successful having won several awards and was exceptionally proficient in several methods. He considered himself more of an artist than a clever scientist who believed that as much as the science of photography had accomplished, there was yet a wider field open. He was famous for his individual portraits and his pictorial record of the town, its people, the fisher folk and eminent visitors bought him great fame and Rodger made St Andrews the centre of world photography.