Polwarth Parish Church And Hall, Polwarth Terrace, Edinburgh, Morningside, Edinburgh

Description

Sydney Mitchell & Wilson, 1900 and chancel 1903; top stages of tower and hall, James Jerdan & Son, 1913. Decorated Gothic church, cruciform plan with aisled nave, clerestory, transepts and dominating SE tower; church hall to NW; red sandstone, squared and coursed rubble with ashlar dressings; moulded ashlar mullions; hood moulds and block label stops to principal openings throughout; cusped heads to rectangular windows. TOWER: massive 4 stages, diagonal buttresses; 1st stage: main entrance to SE, deeply chamfered segmental-arched door, 6 heavy blank rectangular panels for carving in arch, roll-moulded string course, design repeated in side door to NE; 3 arrowslit stair windows to SW; 2nd stage: cill course, 2-light pointed-arch mullioned and transomed window to SW, SE and NE, each comprised of 2 trefoiled lights with quatrefoil tracery above; 3rd stage: oculi with deeply chamfered reveals and cusped tracery to SW, SE and NE; 4th stage (1913): 3-light pointed-arch window to each side, trefoiled louvred lights, perpendicular tracery above; eaves course with fleurons; moulded crenellated parapet with crocketted corner and centre pinnacles, gargoyles at corners.

NAVE: gable to SW, angle buttress with octagonal moulded pinnacle to SE; ashlar panelling at base with flat ogee-arched blind arcading inset with narrow rectangular windows every 2nd panel, divided by 2 short buttresses with moulded upper panels; large 5-light pointed-arch window in centre, flowing tracery, ogee hoodmould rising to Greek cross in gablehead, block label-stops, blind ashlar arcading in spandrels of arch framed by keel-moulded shafts and finials; ornate cross finial; cross finial to NE gable.

NW AND SE AISLED ELEVATIONS: projecting single storey side aisles with lean-to roof; SE 4-bay, NW 5-bay; small bipartite windows with cusped heads to each bay; outbuilding with half-piended roof to right of NW aisle; as clerestorey continuous row of paired 2-light pointed-arch windows wih flowing tracery, hoodmoulds with each pair sharing block label-stops, pairs divided by keeled shafts with block capitals. TRANSEPTS AND CHANCEL: 4-light windows with flowing tracery, and block label-stops in end gable walls, window in SE gable transomed with carved decorative tablet below; single lancet windows with flowing tracery to SW return of transepts. Chancel with 5-light window in NE wall with tracery to sidelights and apex; gablet capped angle buttresses bearing octagonal turret; St Andrew's cross gable finial.

HALLS AND OFFICES, 1913: 2-storey entrance porch to offices and chancel in E re-entrant angle of S transept, pointed-arch doorway, lancet window above, string course at eaves level rising to hoodmould over lancet window, oculus with tracery in gablehead. Single storey flat-roofed saacristry with parapet encasing chancel, SE elevation with 3 single rectangular windows to left and two 2-light windows to right, NE elevation with central 3-light rectangular window flanked by 2-light windows. Pointed-arch deeply chamfered entrance door to hall to outer right, ashlar tympanum inscribed 'Drennan Hall 1913'; coped ashlar parapet peaking above door. Rectangular single storey church hall adjoining chancel to NW; diagonal buttresses, central segmental-arched 3-light window with perpendicular tracery NE gable, flanked by rectangular 2-light transomed windows with cusped heads; small rectangular window in gablehead between 2 bands of ashlar; 4 large rectangular 2-light transomed windows with cusped heads in NW wall, divided by 2 short buttresses. Single storey outbuilding to NW of N transept with half-piended roof to SW and 3 rectangular 2-light windows, one 3-light window to SW. Square pane leaded glazing; green slate roof, red ridge tiles, ornamental chimney to S transept and E entrance porch valley.

INTERIOR: aisled with white washed walls and dark-stained timber barrel-vaulted roof with carved stone corbels (steel construction above) and fleuron course, red sandstone dressings, pointed-arch nave arcade, carved head-stops at crossing; E end with blind arcading timber panelling and carved timber choir stalls, 5-light figurative stained glass window in E wall, large organ in S wall of chancel (by Foster & Andrews, 1903); bottom lights of S transept window stained glass allegedly from John Ker Memorial Church (now demolished); raked timber gallery to W wall with blind arcaded balustrade over brackets and fleuron course, timber screen to vestibule with blind arcading and stained glass panels below; octagonal pulpit of sandstone with variegated marble insets in NE corner of crossing, red colonnettes and carved statues of John Knox and Dr Candlish, timber sounding board above; original timber pews; tiled floor in vestibule; open staircase (altered) to tower and gallery. GATEPIERS AND RAILINGS: low boundary rubble wall, square coped gatepiers with blind arcaded panels, decorative panels to cast-iron railings and gates.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Originally Free Church, now Church of Scotland. The congregation merged with that of John Ker Memorial Church, Polwarth Gardens (now demolished) in 1981, the name Candlish Church gave way to Polwarth Parish Church. The plans of 1899 envisaged all future extensions as well as the manse at Polwarth terrace (unbuilt). The original design for the tower by Sidney Mitchell & Wilson included a spire but was later changed by James Jerdan & Son.

External Links

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