Church Overview

In 1944, Sir Francis and Lady Isabella Tudsbery established the Thistle Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing disabled veterans with the medical support they required and a home for they and their families to live in while recuperating. Tragically, in the very closing days of World War Two, the Tudsberys lost their only child, 25 year old Lt Robin Tudsbery, who was killed in action in Germany on the 30th April 1945.

The Thistle Foundation settled upon a parcel of land in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh to build a village for war-wounded service personnel and their families, choosing Lorimer and Matthew to build 41 homes in a traditional Scottish style. At the heart of the village, Sir Francis and Lady Tudsbery commissioned architect John Fraser Matthew, a partner in the firm, to build a small chapel in memory of their beloved son.

The foundation stone for this handsome Arts & Crafts ecumenical chapel was laid in 1950. Its peaceful and secluded interior is enhanced by the carefully selected endeavours of several mid-20th century artists and craftspeople, including stonework, carved by Maxwell Adam, fine oak woodwork by Thomas Good and intricated wrought-iron work by James Finnegan. A portrait of Robin by Edmond Brock hangs behind the font. Throughout the building is a fine collection of stained glass by Sadie McLellan, depicting scenes from John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress”, add colour and luminescence to the mellow and tranquil interior. These windows were painstakingly restored in 2005.

The A-listed Robin Chapel, still sits at the centre of the sheltered housing complex, run by the Thistle Foundation, as envisaged by Francis and Isabella Tudsbery, a fitting memorial to the bravery and sacrifice of their son. In the three quarters of a century since it opened, its professional choir has garnered a well-deserved reputation for the quality of their music and the building hosts choral evensong every Sunday at 4pm, to which all visitors are made very welcome.

Services

Choral Evensong sung every Sunday at 4.00 pm

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.