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Summary

Description

Hardy & Wight, 1880-1 with addition of 1902. Gothic church. T-plan, oriented NE to SW with tall tower and spire at N, corresponding transeptal porch and stair tower at N end of SE elevation. 5-bay rectangular nave, with shallow transepts at S end, aisles connecting to entrance porches, gallery at NE end. Hall sited transversely at SW end wall of church. Stugged, squared and snecked sandstone walls with polished ashlar dressings, droved at arrises.

TOWER: 5-stage with octagonal ashlar spire. Moulded chamfer to doorway of pointed-arch doorway of double order to NW face, hoodmould over with floral stops. Clasping buttresses to ground floor, 1st floor, band and string course, double lancet with hoodmould and floral stops. Triple lancet at 2nd floor, lancet at 3rd floor with string course above. Pointed-arch window with louvres to upper (belfry) stage, hoodmould with floral stops over. Blind arcaded and cusped parapet, with square pinnacles at corners. Octagonal ashlar spire with stone dormers to

4 faces, iron weathervane at apex. 2-leaf doors with iron handles and nails. Octagonal stair tower adjoining to N with circular upper stage and slit windows.

NAVE AND TRANSEPTS: 2-storey, 5-bay hall. 3 centre bays to both side elevations framed by buttresses, base course at ground floor cill level, lean-to aisles at ground floor with double lancets to each bay, 4-centred, tripartite clerestory windows with plate tracery to upper level at each bay, cornices at eaves. Gabled transepts in bays to S,

2 lancets, hoodmoulds over with floral stops, carved Celtic cross at apex of NW transept. 2-storey gabled porch in penultimate right bay of S elevation with adjoining stair tower to outer right. Pointed-arch doorway to porch with single order on brackets, damaged hoodmould over with floral stops, flanking buttresses, and bipartite window in gablehead above.

STAIR TOWER: chamfered and buttressed stair tower to corner with slit windows.

REAR ELEVATION: 3-bay NE gable end elevation framed to 1st floor level by diagonal buttresses. Ground floor centre bay framed by buttresses, double lancets with hood-moulds and floral stops at ground floor. Triple lancet centred above with hoodmoulds and floral stops, slit window in gablehead. Corresponding stepped triple lancet with hoodmoulds to SW gable.

HALL: 2-storey, with windows in end gables. Lean-to entrance porch to NW elevation with bipartite slit window and flanked by bipartite windows at ground floor. 5-light window with plate tracery in pointed-arched opening. Modern timber window and render to SE wall.

Coloured glass leaded windows to all openings except upper windows of transepts and SW gable, decorative stained glass of 1881 by James Ballantine & Son. Plate glass timber sash and case windows to W end of hall. Grey slate roofs to nave, transepts, hall, porches and conical cap to N stair tower. Metal covered ventilator plinth centring nave ridge. Cast-iron profiled gutters at eaves, downpipes between bays with decorative hoppers and brackets. Coped chimney stack at apex of SW gable.

INTERIOR: 3-bay side aisle arcades, pointed arches with squat ashlar piers. Large, symmetrical, decorative timber organ casing centred on SW wall. Grey marble steps to white shell pattern mosaic sanctuary floor with black pattern. Flanking font and pulpit, both octagonal, arcaded, and of Dalmeny stone with Italian marble columns, pulpit accessed by stone stair with brass handrails. Brass lectern, communion table, benches, and chairs to centre. Timber pews of 1880 on raised timber floor, cast-iron legs and brass umbrella stands to plain ends. Timber gallery at SW end, with diagonally-boarded panels. Supporting cast-iron columns with capitals. Vertical timber boarded wainscoting to ground floor outer walls, porches, gallery and gallery stair. Modern screen to E transept installed to create a small chapel containing furniture brought from St Andrew?s Place Church.

Scissor-truss open timber roof over the nave with wallposts onto carved stone semi-octagonal brackets. Quatrefoil decoration along wallhead including side aisles. Pointed-arch doorways to porches with timber doors and coloured leaded glass windows above. Stone stair to gallery, timber handrail with turned balusters and ball finials at newels. Timber gallery door with 6 diagonally boarded panels. Classical, carved wood war memorial in tower entrance porch, removed here from St Andrew?s Place Church. Trefoil-arched recess in SE wall. Vestry to S, rooflight and decorative cast-iron chimneypiece with integral mirror above. Modern interior to Hall with gluelam trusses, stone stair to gallery room at W end.

Additional hall of 1977 to S with session room above.

LAMP STANDARD: cast-iron lamp standard, adjacent to Easter Road entrance, box base with 1914-18 war memorial inscriptions to members of 3rd company the Boy?s Brigade. Additional plaque to base commemorating 3rd company Boy?s Brigade in 1939-45 war. Decorative stem and lamp fitting with glass globe, Modern railings over

dwarf wall, section with original wrought-iron gate posts surviving next to hall porch.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building, in use as such. Originally Free Church, and formerly the Claremont Kirk, it was built to replace an earlier church burnt out in 1880. The small octagonal "Victoria" spire, intended from the start, was built in 1902 when the hall was added to the S and the existing organ casing, installed by the Carnegie Trust, replaced the original pulpit. Previously water powered, the organ is now redundant, and has been superseded by the electric organ now fronting the pews.

References

Bibliography

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