Secession Chapel, 13 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Entry Name: Secession Chapel, 13 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh

Listing Name: University of Edinburgh, Including Boundary Wall, 13 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh

Listing Date: 13 August 1987

Last Amended: 17 July 2015

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 405235

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB29794

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200405235

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Chapel

Description

Thomas Brown, 1822 with later additions, 1896. 3-storey, 5-bay, symmetrical, rectangular-plan Classical former church, (converted to offices), with central 3-bay pedimented section and 1896 projecting flat-roofed ground floor. Cream and grey sandstone ashlar to street (S) elevation with rubble to rear; some ashlar margins. Deep base course, cill course, deep cornice. Some bipartite openings to E.

Principal S elevation with projecting flat-roofed ground floor with central, pedimented, keystoned doorpiece with paired Doric pilasters and 2-leaf timber panelled entrance door with 4-light fanlight above. Paired Doric pilasters separate bays. Some moulded architraves. Balustraded parapet. 3 central key-stoned round-arched window openings of 1896 to 1st storey.

Variety of glazing patterns. Some 6-pane over plate glass timber sash and case windows, other fixed glazing with top hoppers. Piended grey slate roof.

INTERIOR: (seen 2007). Comprehensively altered. Some timber dado panelling. Dog-leg stair with cast-iron barley sugar twist balusters and timber handrail. Some dentilled cornicing at upper storey.

BOUNDARY WALL: high, rubble wall to E with flat coping.

Statement of Interest

This is a well-proportioned Classical former church which adds significantly to the streetscape of the area.

Constructed in 1822, the church was designed in the simple, Classical style popular in Edinburgh at the time and which was the defining style of the expanding city. The 1896 additions of the balustraded single-storey projection and the round-arched windows add some fine Classical detailing to the building.

The church was built as a Secession Chapel, and is shown as the Tolbooth Free Church on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map of 1849-53. The projecting single-storey extension was added circa 1896.

Thomas Brown (circa 1781-1850) became the Superintendent of the City Works in Edinburgh in 1819. Most of his work is concentrated in the Edinburgh area.

List description revised as part of Edinburgh Holyrood Ward resurvey 2007-08.

Statutory address updated (2015). Previously listed as '13 Infirmary Street and Boundary Wall'.

External Links

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