Our Ancient City – First Floor Gallery
Click the images to view objects on display in exhibition ‘Our Ancient City’.
Medieval institutions provided spaces where ordinary people could both assert, and challenge, authority. Power was expressed locally through the Tolbooth, where the Town Council met, collected taxes, customs and tolls, held prisoners, and hosted elections. From 1452 the Church’s growing influence allowed Bishops of St Andrews to mint coins.
Holy Trinity Church on South Street was constructed in 1412, meeting growing requests for a new town church. Protestant reformers challenged the Cathedral’s power by increasing Holy Trinity’s independence. Preacher John Knox (c.1514–1572) spoke at Holy Trinity in 1547, before joining the besieged Protestants during the siege of St Andrews Castle (1546-47). Upon his return to the church in 1559, he incited parishioners to loot the Cathedral and Holy Trinity’s interiors. A 1798 renovation removed the pre-Reformation connotations, before Holy Trinity was restored to its original design in 1909. The West Port was an expression of civic pride after the Reformation, built in 1587.
Jack Inglis created these models to bring medieval St Andrews to life. A prominent stage designer from St Andrews, Inglis’ studio worked on national productions and developed the concept of Visurama. These models were combined with slides and audio, dramatising historical events. Local people contributed to the production and research, continuing the town’s legacy of cultural innovation. Famous actors such as Richard Harris, Pamela Binns and Andrew Faulds were involved in the narration.
St Rule’s Church provides the backdrop for the arrival of St Andrew’s relics and the development of Christianity. The looming landmark of the Cathedral’s twin towers sets the scene for the marriage of King James V and Mary of Guise in 1538.
St Salvator’s Chapel, founded in 1450 by Bishop Kennedy, highlights the University’s establishment. The chapel served students of St Salvator’s College and the public.
St Andrews Castle, built in 1200 as the Bishop’s official residence, illustrates the Reformation’s religious strife. On 1 March 1546 Reformer George Wishart was burned at the stake outside the Castle on the orders of Archbishop Beaton. Protestant rebels captured the Castle and killed Beaton, holding out against government forces until the French Navy bombarded the Castle in 1547.
Inglis’s craftsmanship reflects the skilled labour of workers in constructing these buildings. These physical traces are still visible through stonemasons’ marks, with Cathedral stones being used to construct newer town buildings.
By the 17th century, St Andrews was no longer the ecclesiastical centre of Scotland. The town fell into a decline that would last for over 200 years.
“The streets were overgrown with grass, and it was no uncommon sight to see cows and pigs grazing upon them. Outside stairs, street projections, ruinous walls, dunghills, pigsties and other abominations everywhere met the eye…”
A Biographical Sketch of Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair, D. Louden, 1874
The 19th century saw a great revival. Provost Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair, dubbed by historians as ‘the man who made modern St Andrews’, had ambitions to turn the town into a fashionable resort. He set out plans to upgrade public spaces and transport, initiated improvements to the Links, and played an influential role in the building of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse in 1854. St Andrews became an increasingly popular tourist destination under Playfair’s leadership.
The St Andrews Railway opened in 1852, bringing more visitors to the town. Most were middle-class families from nearby cities. Hotels sprang up, shops and businesses flourished, and new housing for the growing middle-class, the workers and artisans, was built. St Andrews was transformed into the modern town it is today.
Migration has significantly shaped the character of St Andrews, from the 6th century to the present day.
European churchmen turned the town into a major religious and pilgrim destination. The University’s global student body contributed to growth, transforming the town into a cosmopolitan academic centre.
As with Bishop Acca’s arrival in the 8th century, many came to St Andrews over the centuries because of war and conflict. Evacuees and families of servicemen at nearby Leuchars air base were housed in St Andrews during the Second World War (1939-1945). One of these children, John Johnson, was given an apprenticeship and lived in this house.
Immigrants have not always found sanctuary in St Andrews. The Jannettas, Di Folcos and Palompos were Italian families who established staple businesses in the early 20th century. Despite being welcomed locally, the families faced anti-Italian sentiment during the Second World War, and some were interned in prison camps. Benedito Jannetta Junior never recovered and died soon after his release. His brother Charlie was sent to Canada, and his cousin Fortunato to Australia.
Many people emigrated from St Andrews because of economic and social pressures. Several religious dissenters were forced into exile, whilst numerous fisherfolk left the declining industry. All, however, have at one time called St Andrews their home. Here
