Former Sick Kids hospital in Edinburgh transformed into nearly 100 luxury apartments

Edinburgh’s former Sick Kids hospital is preparing to welcome new residents in the next few months.

The building, which closed as an operational hospital three years ago, has been transformed into nearly 100 luxury apartments.

Developers Square & Crescent say they have retained the historic brickwork and structure of the site.

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children officially closed in 2021 but the walls are still adorned with memories. For many people, it’s heartening to see a place so close to their hearts be re-purposed.

Kate Dixon’s daughter Iris was cared for at the hospital in 2019.

She told STV News: “For us, it was almost like a second home. In fact, I think for many parents who spent time here, it was a second home. It actually wasn’t really like a hospital, it was more of a community.

“We made some great friends during our time here that we actually still keep in touch with today.”

Kate now works for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity – their former base on Millerfield Place is to be transformed into a townhouse.

“It’s been a bit emotional I’ll admit,” she said.

“You know, coming here and stepping inside, a lot of memories come flooding back and I think anybody who spent any time here – whether they worked here or visited here with their child – if they were to come back here, they would probably feel that range of memories and emotions.”

The project aims to retain the history of the site. For example, one of the show apartments used to be the pharmacy. It’s expect the first owners will move into their new apartments in the autumn.

Much of the building’s most iconic features have been retained, with careful consideration taken during the building work.

Daniel Donald, project director at Square & Crescent, said: “We’re keeping a lot of the existing profile of the stone, we’re keeping all the existing structural openings.

“In terms of putting in new construction, we’ve got new windows going in the building but very much preserving the heritage.

“We tend to go to Stonemasons that have experience of working in existing buildings. We’ve got some really good roofers that work with us that are used to using slates and replicating the existing building.”