Deans Court Today
Selected Feature Photographs
Although we have our collaboration galleries, here are some feature photographs that show Deans Court in its present form.
Updated images are always welcomed should you have any you wish to submit.
The Courtyard
Although the exact arrangement of the courtyard has changed several times - notably, in recent years, the Stone of St Andrew being moved away from car traffic and beneath the tree - this is an image that remains identifiable for many generations of residents. The well continues to remain a feature of attraction to passersby.
Photograph kindly provided by Josephine Tomkins. Taken in 2018.
ΑΙΕΝ ΑΡΙΣΤΕΥΕΙΝ
(Ever to Excel)
Seen, but often forgotten, the University's motto and crest remain above the front door, overlooking the courtyard.
Photograph kindly provided by Riccardo Colella. Taken in 2019.
Dedication Plaque
Although every resident passes beneath this plaque, often on a daily basis, it might easily be forgotten. Mounted above the lintel of the Common Room, it sets forth the gift of Deans Court by Sir James Colquhoun Irvine.
Photograph kindly provided by David Jones. Taken in 2019.
The Common Room
Although currently being refurbished, the Common Room is usually one of the central hubs of Deans Court. Many a brief catch-up amongst residents has become an accidental two-hour-long conversation. Especially with the 2018-19 addition of a couch.
In recent years, a tradition of after-dinner Mario Kart tournaments has arisen, and this room has been the venue of generations of residents' parties.
Photograph kindly provided by Riccardo Colella. Taken in 2019.
The Buchanan Library
Although only made available to residents in recent years, the Buchanan Library has quickly become a favourite study space of residents. This beautiful, wood panelled room is a wonderfully cosy location, and is reserved as a quite study location. It's popularity is such that it's important to get a table early in assignment season if you want to use it!
It affords lovely views of the courtyard and the front of the cathedral, and is home to some of Deans Court's older and more valuable book collection.
Photograph kindly provided by Riccardo Colella. Taken in 2019.
The Dining Room
The oldest habitable building in St Andrews, the dining room is the oldest part of Deans Court. Its vaulted ceiling is a feature often remarked upon, and the use of the room itself is something that residents and alumni consider vital to the warm community spirit that Deans Court possesses. The kitchen staff form the very basis of the beating heart within Deans Court, and communal mealtimes bring together disparate postgraduates from their studies, fuelling stimulating conversations, fellowship, and of course the very studies the residents are there to undertake.
Photography kindly provided by Riccardo Colella. Taken in 2018.
Deans Court in Winter
Experiencing St Andrews under snow is one of the special parts of living in Deans Court. During the 2017-18 academic year, the snowfall from The Beast from the East was sufficient enough that residents were able to build snowmen in the garden. Although the snowfall in the 2018-19 academic year was a light dusting, the gardens and buildings still look picture-postcard perfect.
Photograph kindly provided by Riccardo Colella. Taken in 2018.
Gift from the Residents
In 2018-19, the committee found themselves fortunate enough to have sufficient surplus budget to pay for a gift to leave behind to commemorate the year. Inspired by the tree planted by former warden, John McCabe, in 1986, it was decided that a tree would be planted, and a weeping cherry tree was chosen, and a plaque placed.
The tree was planted in the back right corner of the garden, by a patch of lawn that is sunny and an often favoured reading spot for many visitors. We hope its blossoms will be enjoyed by many generations of residents to come.
Photograph kindly provided by Josephine Tomkins. Taken in 2019
The Side Garden
The side garden has undergone numerous changes in recent years. In 2018, the garden beds and cherry trees around the walls were removed, and in 2019, as a result of the current renovations, two rotary clotheslines were installed in the middle of the lawn.
This under-appreciated part of the garden has an important, feature however. As can be seen in this photo from 2018, the wall is home to a particularly ornate bee bole. In the 1800s bee boles were used to shelter wicker or straw skeps from the elements. Skeps have been used as beehives for more than 2000 years. In addition to this bole, the main garden walls have a number of the more standard square bee boles. Their presence is unsurprising given the building's ecclesiastical history.
Photograph kindly provided by Sélène Boixel-Streiff.
The Community Garden
Although a relatively recent addition to Deans Court, the Community Garden has been a wonderful new feature. Begun by one of the Bobby Jones Scholars, Laila Atalla, in the 2016-17 academic year with the help of members of Transition and Edible Campus, this garden has truly transformed a previously overgrown space.
This photograph from the end of the 2018-19 academic year shows how the four years has seen it truly flourish and thrive, and it is now a strong producer of fresh fruit and vegetables for the residents and locals.
Photograph kindly provided by Josephine Tomkins. Taken in 2019.