64 Canongate, EH8 8BS
Queensberry House is currently part of the Scottish Parliament buildings and contains the office for the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. From 1803 until 1996, however, the house was used as a hospital. In 1801, Queensberry House, previously a private residence, was repossessed by the government and used as an emergency hospital. The house then acted as an army base from 1808-1815, with a third storey was added to the house to accommodate army barracks and the pavilions converted into marching areas. The house returned to its use as emergency public hospital between 1815-1833, caring for homeless patients. In 1833, Queensberry House officially became a House of Refuge for the homeless population of Edinburgh. It remained one until the foundation of the NHS in 1948, at which point it became a specialised care facility for the elderly as Queensberry House Hospital. The hospital closed in 1996 and the site was purchased by the Scottish Parliament in 1997 where it became integrated with the Holyrood building.