With many school pupils about to sit exams they will be hoping their results will be good enough to get to their chosen university.  Some might be hoping that they will be walking through the doors of the McEwan Hall at Edinburgh in the future.  The McEwan Hall was presented to the University of Edinburgh in 1897 by William McEwan who was a wealthy brewer and politician.  It was designed by Sir Rowand Anderson and completed in 1894 with lavish interiors by William Palin including 15 painted mural panels that make up the vast dome inside, taking another three years to finish. The Hall was designed as a ceremonial hall for graduations but also for use by the people of Edinburgh and in 2017 it was refurbished to update it to provide additional facilities for the university.  Around the outside of the hall there are many intricate friezes and carvings including the one above the main door of a typical Graduation ceremony as happens in early summer and again in autumn.  It shows graduates walking along the stage and being capped by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, with professors in the background just as happened with my husband and daughter A and no doubt many blippers who also received degrees from Edinburgh University.