St Cuthbert's Church

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Cuthbert's Parish Church is situated off Lothian Road in central Edinburgh, well below the level of Princes Street, surrounded by its churchyard. It was throughout the 19th century a fashionable church preferred by the rich burghers of the developing New Town.


The mediaeval St. Cuthbert's, first mentioned in 1127 (possibly a foundation of St. Margaret), was the church of what was once the largest parish outwith but with its boundary as the walls of the old city. After the Scottish Reformation the long nave, with a staged tower in its south flank, became the 'Little Kirk', and the choir was submerged in a mass of additions of which one - the Nisbet of Dean vault of 1692 - survives on the north side.

By 1772 the kirk was dangerous, and in 1773 - 1775 (following a competition) the architect-builder James Weir of Tollcross built a preaching box with two tiers of galleries reached by stairs in the pedimented western projection.

Between 1787 and 1790 the ground to the north was drained for an extension of the burial ground, and in 1789 - 1790 Alexander Stevens built the spire which he probably designed himself. By 1888 the church had become unsafe, and Hippolyte Blanc was appointed as architect to address the situation. He first proposed to recase it, but eventually a rebuild was decided upon, maintaining the general proportions but greatly increasing the size. The result, with a pair of Baroque west towers flanking the domed apse, and is best seen from the lower level of Princes Street Gardens. In 1893 the Kirk Session decided upon 'a general and harmonious scheme of scriptural subjects applying to the [windows] of the whole church' in stained glass, not often seen in Church of Scotland kirks. These were executed, again a departure for Presbyterianism, in early Renaissance tabernacle frames almost all from the same firm, Ballantyne & Gardiner. The notable exception is the David and Goliath window, by Tiffany of New York (after 1900).

The churchyard is impressive containing hundreds of monuments worthy of notice, including one to John Grant of Kilgraston (near Perth), and a three-bay Gothic mausoleum of the Gordons of Cluny by David Bryce.

[edit] References

  • Gifford, John; McWilliam, Colin; Walker, David; Wilson, Christopher, The Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh, Penguin Books, London, 1984, pps:275 - 277. ISBN 0-14-0710-68-X