Priorsgate has seen many residents and many a use in its lifetime. The building originally formed part of Queen Mary’s House, which belonged to David Orme, Chamberlain to the Regent Moray, from 1560. Mary Queen of Scots is said to have stayed in the house during this time, hence the ‘royal’ name.

The Priorsgate end of the property was divided off in around 1785 by Professor George Hill, first Assistant Professor of Greek and then Professor at the University of St Andrews, and minister of the Second Charge at Holy Trinity Church in the town.

Fast-forward to 1889, and Priorsgate came into use as a boarding house for St Leonards School, which purchased it in 1945 and still owns the property today. Since then, it has housed private tenants and served as staff accommodation for the independent school, before undergoing an extensive redevelopment in 2021-22 to create the five stylish and contemporary self-catering apartments that exist today: the next chapter in Priorsgate’s rich history.