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Summary

Description

Hardy and Wight, 1879-1881. Early English, I-plan church with 4-stage square-plan pinnacled tower to NE adjoining centrally buttressed N gable. Extensive redecoration of interior after fire by J R McKay, 1931 with wood carving by Scott Morton & Co. Snecked, bull-faced, squared sandstone rubble; smooth sandstone dressings. Base course; string course; chamfered plate tracery openings. Bull-faced quoins. Foliate label stops. Late 19th century stained-glass memorial windows N entrance. Small church hall by Hardy and Wight, 1884, linked to SE. Large hall by R S Johnstone, 1937 to S.

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: central buttressed 2-bay gable; 6 arcaded pointed-arched plate tracery windows to ground; two tall hoodmoulded, transomed plate tracery windows to upper gable; hoodmoulded pointed oval vent to gablehead; carved stone foliated cross finial. Carved pointed-arched entrance with colonnettes, 2-leaf timber boarded door to buttressed tower to far left. Semi-octagonal-plan 1-1/2 storey stairtower with octagonal spire roof and wrought-iron finial to far right.

E ELEVATION: tower to far right; 4-bay buttressed aisle with bi-partite pointed arched windows; 3-bay clerestory with pointed arched plate tracery windows. Gabled 2-storey advanced transept to left with 2 bipartite windows to ground floor, tripartite pointed arched window to gallery; porch to right re-entrant angle. Small hall (1884) adjoining to far left.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: 5-sided canted and stepped apse projecting from gable end; chimneystack terminating recessed gable. Single storey blocks comprising vestry and session room set between church and large hall (1937) to S.

W ELEVATION: semi-octagonal stair tower to far left; gabled 1-1/2-storey porch to left. Nave and transept similar to E elevation.

Predominantly diamond panes windows; commemorative stained glass to lower arcaded windows to N; boarded timber doors with decorative cast-iron hinges and fittings. Pitched roofs; grey slates; plain stone skews; terracotta ridge tiles to small hall; shaped skewputts.

INTERIOR: oak-panelled entrance porch with diamond-paned glass panels supporting overhanging panelled gallery; 4 pointed arched plain arcades springing from large Doric stone columns; flying buttressed aisles; plain clerestory; depressed arches opening into transepts. Timber panelled and carved wagon roof. Raised chancel

with carved oak pulpit, lectern and communion table (war memorial, 1920); full-height pointed-arched opening to rear housing timber-carved organ.

SMALL HALL (1884): bull-faced snecked sandstone; margin-paned lattice windows; tall shouldered wall head chimneystack to E. Timber-boarded dado panelling to interior.

LARGE HALL (1937): 7 bays to S; 3 bays to W. Smooth cement brise-block base course up to cill height. 18-pane painted metal windows; pebble dash render; square brise-block porch to SE. Timber-boarded dado panelling to interior; stage to E.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: low coped snecked rubble boundary walls linked to N elevation to E and W; rusticated, square- and octagonal-plan piers with ribbed domed caps surmounted by turned and twisted cast-iron gaslight balusters.

Statement of Special Interest

Prominently positioned at top of Granton Road, terminating the long vista. The church includes important carved fittings, including organ by John Ross McKay executed by Scott Morton & Co. in the style of Robert Lorimer (McKay trained in his office). Henry Hardy and J R Wight also built Mayfield Church, Edinburgh (1878) and Crichton Parish Church, Midlothian (1898). The original cost of church was £5,000.

Established as Granton and Wardie Free Church in 1874 and renamed St James's Free Church in March, 1881, this church was formally opened 3 June 1881. A fire occurred on 10 December 1930 (BOS incorrect), after which date J R McKay was commissioned to refurbish the church. The church changed its name to Inverleith Parish Church after union with Church of Scotland in 1929. The sanctuary was reorganised in 1959; the organ console was removed to the N side of the transept. These mid-20th century changes also included the commemorative

pulpit to Rev Dr A Cowan, also by Scott Morton & Co.

References

Bibliography

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