Church Overview

Work began on Muirhouse St Andrews Parish Church in 1963 and it held its formal dedication service on the 6th March 1965, led by the then Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Dr Duncan Fraser. Built to service the needs of the 4000 residents of the growing Edinburgh housing estate of Muirhouse, this interesting Modernist church was designed by Church of Scotland architect Harry Taylor and was built for a total of £41,000.

Built on a diagonal axis, its distinctive canted corner elevation, reminiscent of a mitre hat, has a number of concrete sculptures above the door, depicting representations of the Four Evangelists and the Holy Spirit, with a projecting cast iron bell hanging above. Design scheme inside matches the Modernist exterior, with blue stained glass casting interesting light patterns on the painted timber pews and simple timber balustrades. Its largely unaltered state and local significance has earned it a statement of special interest from Historic Environment Scotland. In 2013, artist Natalie Taylor constructed a natural labyrinth in the grounds outside that visitors can enjoy today even when the church is closed.

In June 2014, Muirhouse St Andrews merged with the nearby Old Kirk of Edinburgh, which had been built to service the needs of a long-established and historic congregation that had transferred from central Edinburgh in the early 1960s. The Old Kirk was closed and sold in 2015 and the new enlarged congregation was renamed “The Old Kirk and Muirhouse”. In 2023, the church merged once again, this time with historic Cramond Kirk, with the new parish renamed Edinburgh Northwest Church. The Muirhouse building is now called Pennywell Kirk.

Services

Sundays: 11.00am.

Opening Arrangements

Open 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.