Church Overview

The church of 1650 was rebuilt in 1771 and enlarged by David Bryce in 1837. Sydney Mitchell transformed the building in a neo-Byzantine style between 1907 and 1908. Mitchell adorned the semi-circular apse with murals and fine woodwork including the pulpit, communion table and rood-screen. To the south of the church, Page and Park have built new rooms which, through their contemporary design, embrace the wonderful woodland setting. The Offertory House of 1807 heralds this most interesting of buildings with its ancient graveyard set within a bend of the Water of Leith. Outside the church is an iron mort-safe, weighing about one tonne and probably dating from the 1820s, the purpose of which was to protect newly buried bodies from the attentions of the ‘Resurrectionists’ or body-snatchers who made money by selling bodies to the Edinburgh medical school.

Services

Sundays: 9.30 and 11.15am; single service at 10.30 am in summer

Opening Arrangements

Open Monday to Friday 9.00am-4.00pm or by arrangement

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.