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Summary

Description

James McLachlen 1934-8 (church); 1934-5 (hall). Cruciform-plan Neo-Romanesque exposed brick church with engaged tall square tower to S elevation; abutted to earlier church hall at SE; on prominent corner site. Variagated red brick in common bond (4th course Flemish headers), rat-trap bond with double strechers above windows to nave and church hall, brick eaves course to gables. Round-arched openings to church, flat-arched openings to hall; small narrow openings to apex of gables. Round-arched brick detailing with recessed herringbone bond infill and soldier course lintel above entrance openings.

W (CRAIGENTINNY AVENUE) ELEVATION: gable flanked by shallow buttresses; tall tripartite window with brick mullions, central light taller. Single storey vestibules flanking gable with bi-partite windows.

S (CRAIGENTINNY ROAD) ELEVATION: pitched roofed entrance porch to left, with 2-leaf timber and upper part glazed doors in recess. Paired gabled trancepts with tall bi-partite windows. Engaged tall and narrow square tower to right, with bipartite openings below dentiled cornice, decorative bellcast copper roof..

N ELEVATION: mirror of S elevation except tower; E pitch of left gable replaced in pantiles and extended to bottom of nave roof.

E ELEVATION: tall single light to centre of gable; single lights to flanking side aisles.

INTERIOR: (seen 2009) timber and glazed screen to entrance vestibule. Square brick piers with raised brick detailing to capitals supporting rendered segmental arches separating nave from side aisles and continued across transepts. Triangular timber buttresses to top of columns supporting projecting timber wall plate; wagon vaulted timber ceiling. Organ to left transept, pipes to either side of chancel (see NOTES). Timber panelling to chancel. Boarded and panelled timber pews to nave

Replacement timber windows, some leaded, stained glass to chancel. Pitched pantile roof with easing course. Concave copper roof to bell tower with bluebell-shaped capping.

CHURCH HALL: single storey, 7-bay, rectangular-plan. Tripartite window to E gable elevation and bipartite to W gable elevation, with decorative round-arched brick detailing with herringbone bond infill above. S Elevation: tripartite windows to central 3 bays, flanked by bipartite windows; advanced gable entrance porches with shallow buttresss to outer bays. Shorter single-storey, 2-bay extension to N elevation to provide internal connection with church. Interior: (seen 2009) timber stage with fine panelled timber wall at rear; large timber panelled folding partition; vaulted boarded timber ceiling. Replacement timber windows, some leaded. Pitched pantile roof with easing course.

BOUNDARY WALLS: low coped and exposed brick boundary walls, square gatepiers with concrete capping; metal gates.

Statement of Special Interest

place of worship, in use as such. Largely unaltered, St Christopher's Church is a good example of an interwar exposed brick church in an unusual Neo-Romanesque style. The building exhibits good brickwork detailing externally and internally, such as the expressive use of different bonding patterns and sizes of brick to emphasis various architectural and structural elements, as well as demonstrating fine timber finishes especially to vaulted celilings in church and hall. Prominently sited on a broad corner in a suburb of Edinburgh the church makes a significant contribution to the area, which is characterised by single-storey housing.

James McLachlan was born in 1875 and articled to renowned Robert Rowand Anderson in 1892, remaining with Anderson as an assistant until he commenced independent practice on his own account in 1904. He designed a number of public buildings, including churches, such as Morningside United Church, Edinburgh, in a similar Neo-Romanesque style and the Royal Bank of Scotland, Hyndland Road, Glasgow (see separate listings).

The 1930s was a prolific period for church construction, due to the mass movement of people from city centres to new housing estates in the suburbs. The Church of Scotland met the demand for new churches through their Church Extension Scheme. These churches were of a modern design with little historical precedent so that represented contemporary society. Many were constructed of brick which had been rarely used in Scotland up to that time for public buildings. Other examples include St Aidan's Parish Chruch, Stenhouse, Edinburgh (1933) and A Murray Hardie Newtongrange Parish Chruch (1939-1942) (see separate listing).

The organ was moved from St Catherine's Argyle Church, Edinburgh and rebuilt with pipes by Ronald K. Smith in 1975.

References

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