new arthur place (university of edinburgh)

is there anyone staying at new arthur place accommodation in 2023-24? or does anyone have experience with what's it like?

Reply 1

Broglie1923

My daughter stayed their last year. It is cheap and location next to Pleasance gym good. However needs maintenance (DDs flat was damp), bin area had a rat problem and location across the road from Salvation Army hostel meant it could be lively (just bathroom windows smashed not assaults on students to my knowledge)

Reply 2

Foten

Original post by Broglie1923

Oh no! I’ve just been offered accommodation there. Is it that bad!

Reply 3

Broglie1923

Hopefully someone who stayed there this year will come on with an update.

Damp issue should be sorted as uni has been on a huge maintenance program and has been upgrading bathrooms. Security reviewed CCTV and smashed window was someone off their head on drugs thinking window was threatening them and hitting it with a pole rather than any attempt to break in (if students had shut security gate he wouldn't have got near that bad window).

Enjoy the location. My DD appreciated the cheapness of New Arthur and loves the uni and city.

Reply 4

PenguinRock

I stayed there a couple of years ago...

•

Great location - well-placed for central campus and Holyrood and not too far from ECA

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My block had its door blown off in a storm and they did NOT replace it quickly

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The entrance gate broke and we received a scolding email because some were propping it open (while the uni was not replacing the literal door to our block)

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Rats and mice. But I didn't really mind those hehe :smile:

The bikes were stolen from the bike shed at one point. The university weren't particularly good about it, and took the view that somehow, it must've been us, the students', fault.

In general, the flats aren't amazing, but they're not going to be amazing anywhere and at least you aren't in the hands of a private landlord! I wouldn't expect a huge increase in quality elsewhere on the university premises. In terms of shopping you have Lidl and Sainsburys Local nearby, and for nightlife there's the Southsider and Brass Monkey pubs close by too. But everything's relatively walkable, and if you do need to go further afield then there's lots of bus routes at Surgeonshall and Nicolson Square.

One thing I found was it was worth investing in blackout blinds. I was in block 11, and it faces onto the Dumbiedikes scheme, so there's usually quite a lot of light from there. But you can get cut-to-fit blackout blinds for a few pounds from IKEA at Straiton.

Important to note that wherever you're staying at, things will happen. It's first year, and you're in with a whole bunch of people. At one flat party, a bunch of people including my flatmate got spiked, and it turned out to be a memepage admin. And I only found out last year that he'd been going around telling people it was me instead (although he got found out in the end). I think it's generally important to remember that even if people seem innocuous, you can't really trust them. You meet some nice people - some stick, others don't. I think that's just the way of things really, and you'll probably meet your more lasting friends later through university, once you've had time to find your feet.

Everywhere's going to have upsides and downsides. So long as you're not miles out (i.e. Beaverbank/Murano/Shrubhill/Haddington, although the tram will have improved things) you're good to go.

Don't forget to grab a YoungScot Card if you've not yet, and you're eligible. Free buses can get you from Stranraer to Scrabster without spending anything. I'm 22 now, and miss mine...

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

Original post by PenguinRock

I stayed there a couple of years ago...

•

Great location - well-placed for central campus and Holyrood and not too far from ECA

•

My block had its door blown off in a storm and they did NOT replace it quickly

•

The entrance gate broke and we received a scolding email because some were propping it open (while the uni was not replacing the literal door to our block)

•

Rats and mice. But I didn't really mind those hehe :smile:

The bikes were stolen from the bike shed at one point. The university weren't particularly good about it, and took the view that somehow, it must've been us, the students', fault.
In general, the flats aren't amazing, but they're not going to be amazing anywhere and at least you aren't in the hands of a private landlord! I wouldn't expect a huge increase in quality elsewhere on the university premises. In terms of shopping you have Lidl and Sainsburys Local nearby, and for nightlife there's the Southsider and Brass Monkey pubs close by too. But everything's relatively walkable, and if you do need to go further afield then there's lots of bus routes at Surgeonshall and Nicolson Square.
One thing I found was it was worth investing in blackout blinds. I was in block 11, and it faces onto the Dumbiedikes scheme, so there's usually quite a lot of light from there. But you can get cut-to-fit blackout blinds for a few pounds from IKEA at Straiton.
Important to note that wherever you're staying at, things will happen. It's first year, and you're in with a whole bunch of people. At one flat party, a bunch of people including my flatmate got spiked, and it turned out to be a memepage admin. And I only found out last year that he'd been going around telling people it was me instead (although he got found out in the end). I think it's generally important to remember that even if people seem innocuous, you can't really trust them. You meet some nice people - some stick, others don't. I think that's just the way of things really, and you'll probably meet your more lasting friends later through university, once you've had time to find your feet.
Everywhere's going to have upsides and downsides. So long as you're not miles out (i.e. Beaverbank/Murano/Shrubhill/Haddington, although the tram will have improved things) you're good to go.
Don't forget to grab a YoungScot Card if you've not yet, and you're eligible. Free buses can get you from Stranraer to Scrabster without spending anything. I'm 22 now, and miss mine...

Hi, in your experience what was the social life there like? Is there any communal areas inside or outside that people use? Is the building social in general? Did people often have people over/parties in the kitchens etc.. or was it generally quite quiet? You mentioned some near by pubs, are other popular places far away or was it manageable getting to and from them? Thank you 🙂

Reply 6

PenguinRock

Original post by Anonymous

Hiya, I'll try and give you a run down.

There were fairly common parties in the blocks (especially Block 5, which had bigger flat kitchens due to more people) in the first semester, but these died down fairly quickly. Flat parties are a lot more common in first-year halls than they are in the rest of uni - they still happen, but at the start they're often really a mechanism for trying to feel cemented into your halls, hosted as a rite of passage, and really to meet new people.
New Arthur was quite social, and really quite small - I think I could very easily recognise more than half the people in the blocks around Edinburgh. But it also depends on your flatmates and the vibe in your block - our block was a bit quieter, although there were still opportunities to socialise.
Another thing about New Arthur is that at least in my experience it's not just packed full of kids from more privileged backgrounds like Pollock is). There are some, of course - I went to private school, but I was the only one in my flat, it's a broader mix which is obviously a lot healthier, including quite a lot of actual Scots. And I think it matters a great deal - you're coming to a uni where 35% of students are from 7% of schools. (You do not want to be based in a ghettoised community of ex-Bedales kids in gilets, all of whom have their own social codes and think they're special for knowing what weed is.) In my experience it was quite a friendly and social environment, you got to know people and say hi, as I said above not everyone is going to be great but generally I felt it was a good place to be.

In terms of stuff nearby - you are right in the heart of things, couldn't be closer really! Pubs aren't far away at all. Southsider and Brass Monkey, two of the most popular student pubs, are a 4-5 minute walk away, with plenty of other places (Potterrow, Captain's Bar, Banshee Labyrinth, Pear Tree, 32Below, Dog House, Dagda) a stone's throw. You basically couldn't be any closer to the student union building at Pleasance, and you're literally next to the gym too.

Potterrow is a failsafe - cheap food and drinks, studenty atmosphere. Next year Teviot, our proper student union building, will reopen though, and that's a much, much cooler building so be on the lookout for that! Teviot is the real thing, but Potterrow is fine enough. It's also where Big Cheese is, and that's the student union clubnight that you might go to in first year but probably won't bother with after that.
Southside and Pear Tree are quite basic studenty pubs, Banshees and Doghouse a bit more alt-y and queer, Captain's and Dagda more grown-up drinking-holes (the former has live folk music every night). Would recommend the karaoke nights at Banshees.
All this comes with a proviso though - keep yourself safe! Always look out for others in your group and make sure they're looking out for you too. If you've not really gone out places before then it's a good idea to get a sense of your own limits. Be responsible for yourself and others around you. I can't stress how important this is when it comes to clubbing. For me clubbing was something that I sort of tired of, but if that's your thing (and there's lots of clubs nearby New Arthur too; Subway Cowgate, Sneaky Pete's, and the utter dive that is Hive), you should be vigilant. Have fun, but be vigilant. There's lots of spiking in university cities, and Edinburgh is no exception to that rule.

Of course drinking isn't the only way of socialising at uni! Edinburgh is crammed full of coffee shops, and with thrift stores, and Nicolson Street (6min walk away) is basically an extended chain of both of these. Black Medicine, Origin Coffee, Edinburgh Coffee Lounge, Dai Pai - are all nice places to go, and there's way more too (plus a Starbucks if you really must). Of course it goes without saying that they're a fair bit pricey!

But there's other things you can do. The wardens and RAs run events, so every so often there's a trip somewhere (like St Andrews or Stirling Castle) etc. And this is where societies are really useful too! You can do fun things. I'm part of the Railway Society (RailSoc) and we just go on days out on the trains and explore nearby towns and such. It's incredibly fun. Speaking of which, you can take the tram from St Andrew Square down to Leith, and explore there, too.

Then there's nice green open spaces - the Meadows, for example, or Blackford Hill, or Hermitage of Braid. Calton Hill isn't too far away either. But an extra advantage of New Arthur Place is you're very close to Holyrood Park (only the Dumbie****s housing scheme stands in the way). A freshers' week trip up Arthur's Seat is a rite of passage, and you can also walk along the base of it to Duddingston Loch where there's a lovely little garden (and in summer, sometimes, a little cafe).

Please don't be afraid to get involved. You are going to be right in the heart of things. Starting uni gives you incredibly opportunities to meet more people and do things you've never done before - or just even meet folk who like the same things as you. I wish you all the best :smile: