Melville’s Minerva Gets a Face Lift

By Dr Jon Cooper

Over the summer Stewart’s Melville Old College has been preparing for one of the most significant days in its modern history: the full merger with The Mary Erskine School. As the two long connected institutions move toward a single identity, the symbols of their past are being carefully lifted, accessed, and readied for restoration. Few moments capture the event more poignantly than the removal of the impressive coat of arms that has dominated the entrance hall of the Old College for generations.

Earlier in the August holidays, the shield, scroll, and the two crests that formed the historic school coat of arms were removed from their long standing position in the lobby of the Old College. These elements, familiar to thousands of pupils, staff, and former students, have now been safely transferred to the School Archives for conservation.

Their removal marks both an ending and a beginning: the closing chapter of Stewart’s Melville College as a standalone boys’ school, and the opening of a new era in co-ed partnership with The Mary Erskine School.

The Work Begins

Heritage Officer Dr Jon Cooper has begun the meticulous process of assessing and repairing each component. The crests show the expected signs of age: surface cracking, fading pigments, and structural stress from decades of display. The restoration programme aims not only to stabilise the pieces but to return them to a condition suitable for future exhibition as part of the merged Schools’ heritage collection.

The Head of the Cue

The first object on the workbench is the Melville College crest, instantly recognisable for its depiction of Minerva, the allegorical figure long associated with the Edinburgh Institution and later Melville College. Her head, adorned with a classical helmet, symbolises learning, wisdom, crafts and modern scholarship, values that defined the Institution from its founding in 1832.

The crest has suffered minor damage over time: hairline fractures in the plaster, abrasion to the paintwork and the overpaint by at least two teams of decorators while recoating the surrounding walls. The restoration plan includes surface cleaning, filling in any cracks, touching up the paintwork and adding a protective sealant.

This careful work ensures that Minerva will continue to represent the intellectual heritage of Melville College long after the new merger is complete.

A Moment of Reflection

The removal of the coat of arms is more than a practical step in a merger; it is a symbolic moment. As Stewart’s Melville College and The Mary Erskine School become one coeducational school, the preservation of these heraldic pieces ensures that the histories of both institutions remain visible, respected, and accessible. The crest of Melville College, with its iconic image of Minerva, will soon stand not as a relic of a bygone era, but as a restored emblem of a shared educational legacy.