Barclay Viewforth Church
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Barclay Viewforth Church | |
---|---|
55°56′26″N 3°12′12″W / 55.94056°N 3.20333°W | |
Denomination | Church of Scotland |
Website | Barclay Viewforth Church |
Administration | |
Presbytery | Edinburgh |
Parish | Barclay Viewforth |
Clergy | |
Minister(s) | Rev David Clarkson |
Barclay Viewforth Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Presbytery of Edinburgh.
History
Located at the border between the
The church remained part of the Free Church of Scotland until 1900 when the majority of the Free Church and the
Barclay Church united with Bruntsfield Church (Leamington Terrace) in 1965. The Bruntsfield Church building is now used by an independent church and is known as Bruntsfield Evangelical Church. The church was renamed as "Barclay-Bruntsfield Church" until 1980 when it reverted to its original name after united with Chalmers-Lauriston Church (59-61 Lauriston Place). Chalmers-Lauriston Church was purchased by the City of Edinburgh Council and sold to the Arab Social League for use as a cultural centre, but has remained derelict until the late 2010s when it was converted to a Mosque. Barclay united with Viewforth Church in 2009. Other churches which have been subsumed into the parish of Barclay Viewforth through earlier unions include West Port Church. It is currently in a Parish Grouping with St Catherine's-Argyle Parish Church in Marchmont.
The Barclay Viewforth Church also hosts the Edinburgh Chinese Christian Church, a Chinese church consisting of a Cantonese-speaking congregation.[5]
Architecture
The Church, along with the Halls and Church Officer's House at the rear, are category A listed by Historic Scotland.[6] The spire, which at 250 feet (76 m) high is a landmark in the city skyline, is one of the tallest church spires in Edinburgh.
Internally, the church has seating on the ground floor with two tiers of galleries in the heart shaped auditorium, which originally had seating for 1,200. The organ was installed in 1896 by R. Hope-Jones and has been twice rebuilt. The marble pulpit (also by Pilkington) holds a prominent location under the organ pipes with a central view over the nave.
The church halls to the east were skillfully added in 1891. They are designed by Sydney Mitchell in a complementary style to Pilkington's original and built in matching stone.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Basic Site Details: Barclay Church". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ The Three Great Roads, Drew Easton
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1850
- ^ Ewing, William Annals of the Free Church
- ^ "Welcome Home – Edinburgh Chinese Christian Church". 17 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "1 WRIGHT'S HOUSES, BARCLAY-BRUNTSFIELD CHURCH AND CHURCH HALL (CHURCH OF SCOTLAND) LB26720". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh; by John Gifford, Colin McWilliam, David Walker