Rainy Hall is a Victorian era dining hall in Edinburgh University's New College (the Faculty of Divinity) on the Mound. The Gothic revival room, with its hammerbeam roof and heraldic panelling, inspired JK Rowling’s enchanted ceiling dining hall at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.
The hall was built in 1900 to mark the 50th anniversary of New College and named after Robert Rainy, former principal and Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland in 1887. A bronze relief of Rainy can still be found in the hall, as well as traditional oil paintings and whimsical chandeliers.
In 2019, restoration work was completed on the hall which now includes a new floor, demountable stage, and new oak tables and upholstered oak chairs. The AV system was also upgraded.
The room is an important social meeting place for students and faculty during term time and is available for rental.
During the Fringe, Assembly Festival rents the hall. The theatrical configuration sees a raked auditorium with 256 seats and an 8 x 4 metre performance area, with the option to increase performance area to 8 x 5.5 metres by removing the front two rows of seating.