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Unit 21, North Leith Sands, Edinburgh, EH6 4ER, Company Registration No.SC578164
Some buildings carry more than bricks and stone. They carry stories.
Newbattle Abbey is one of those places.
We’re incredibly proud to share that Kaybee Builders will soon begin works at Newbattle Abbey College, and even more proud that one of the redeveloped units will become our new office. But this isn’t simply a relocation. It feels like becoming part of something much bigger.
To understand why, you have to understand the history of Newbattle Abbey.
Newbattle Abbey was founded in the 12th century as a Cistercian monastery. For centuries, it stood as a religious and agricultural centre, deeply woven into Scotland’s early history.
After the Reformation, the site evolved. Over time it was transformed into a stately home, eventually becoming Newbattle Abbey College in the 20th century, an institution dedicated to adult education and lifelong learning.
The buildings have also played an important role during times of national need. During the Second World War, the college facilities were used as a training centre, where more than 2,000 people were trained every six weeks as part of the wartime effort. The site once again became a place of learning and preparation, contributing in its own way to the wider national story.
For generations since, students have walked its halls. Ideas have been exchanged in its rooms. Communities have formed within its walls.
It has always been a place of purpose.
Recently, we came across a historical video about Newbattle Abbey College that gave us a powerful glimpse into its past. At 4 minutes 12 seconds and again at 13 minutes 33 seconds, the video shows the very units that are now being prepared for redevelopment.
Seeing those spaces in their earlier form makes this project feel even more meaningful.
The section of the building that currently stands without a roof (due to a previous fire) was once the old dining hall. A space that once brought students and staff together will soon begin a new chapter as our working home.
There is something incredibly powerful about that continuity.
When part of a historic building suffers damage, it can feel like the end of a story. The former dining hall has stood without a roof for some time now, a visible reminder of what once was.
But buildings like this don’t deserve to fade away.
They deserve restoration. They deserve renewal. They deserve new life.
That is exactly what this redevelopment represents.
We are not replacing history. We are reactivating it.
The idea that our new office will stand within what was once the dining hall of Newbattle Abbey College fills us with pride.
Where meals were once shared, ideas will now be planned.
Where students once gathered, our team will now collaborate.
Where history paused, progress will now continue.
As builders, we often talk about foundations, structure and craftsmanship. But this project reminds us that buildings are also about continuity, about giving existing spaces the opportunity to serve new generations in new ways.
Working within a historic site requires more than technical skill. It requires sensitivity.
Every decision must consider:
We approach this project with enormous respect. The aim is not to modernise for the sake of it, but to carefully restore and repurpose, allowing the building’s heritage to remain visible and valued.
There is also something deeply sustainable about this project.
Rather than constructing entirely new premises elsewhere, we are bringing an existing structure back into use. Adaptive reuse protects heritage, reduces material waste and ensures that the embodied history of a building continues.
Restoration is one of the most meaningful forms of development. It recognises that the strongest foundations are often already there.
For us as a business, this marks an exciting milestone.
Our new office at Newbattle Abbey will:
Operating within a 40-mile radius of Edinburgh, we’ve worked on many renovation and redevelopment projects. But becoming part of the ongoing story of Newbattle Abbey feels different.
Newbattle Abbey has been many things over the centuries, a monastery, a home, a college, a place of learning and community. Now, another chapter begins.
We are incredibly excited to play a role in bringing this part of the site back into active use. The former dining hall will once again be a place of activity, planning and shared purpose.
History is not something that sits behind glass. It is something that evolves. And we are proud to contribute to that evolution.
We look forward to sharing updates as work progresses and to welcoming visitors to our new home within one of Scotland’s most remarkable historic sites.
A building with centuries behind it deserves a future just as strong.
We are honoured to help build it.