Rhinoceroses and Giraffes Used by permission of Peter Stubbs An Architectural Guide to Edinburgh Barclay Viewforth Church of Scotland Registered Sco<sh Charity No. SC014757 Barclay Viewforth Church £2.00 1, Wright’s Houses, Edinburgh EH10 4HR Tel: 0131 229 6810 www.barclayviewforth.org.uk Rhinoceroses and Giraffes An Architectural Guide to Barclay Viewforth Church, Edinburgh “Franco-Vene+an Gothic church of great originality designed by FT Pilkington 1862-64. Apple-shaped plan with T plan appendage containing two +ers of galleries, remarkable intersecng King and Queen truss roof construcon, tall stone spire with open lucernes, cavernous portals.” This guide has been prepared to give the interested visitor assistance in iden4fying and examining the many unusual features of Frederick Thomas Pilkington's most famous building. We hope that you enjoy your visit to our church. The church is first and foremost not bricks and mortar, but men and women who worship God, confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and seek in sincerity to serve Him in daily life. Please accept this invita.on to return and join us for worship at one of our Sunday Services - either at 11.00 am or 6.30 pm on any Sunday of the year. Original version compiled by Rev Graham Leitch, former minister of Barclay Church. Mr Stewart Tod, architect, and, for many years, Fabric Convenor of Barclay Church, provided addi+onal material for this edi+on. Mr Tod’s grandfather, Alex Tod, was also involved in the original construcon of the church. Revised August 2011 EH 8/11 2 MINISTERS The informaon contained in this booklet has been gathered from a number of sources, both published and unpublished, in order to provide 1864-1903 Rev Dr James Hood Wilson members and visitors to our church with a simple outline of the history of the building. 1897-1911 Rev William MacCallum Clow For nearly 150 years Barclay Church (now Barclay Viewforth) - built as a 1902-1924 Rev R. Sangster Anderson Free Church but now a parish church of the Church of Scotland serving the Tollcross area - has been a dominant feature of the Tollcross and 1924-1943 Rev Alexander Irvine Pirie Bruntsfield areas of Edinburgh and of the city skyline. 1944-1948 Rev William Preston Temple 1949-1965 Rev R Nichol Bell 1967-1980 Rev James Hamilton HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1980 - 2003 Rev D. Graham Leitch The Church - originally known as "The Barclay Church" aer Mary Barclay whose legacy paid for its building - stands on the edge of the Bruntsfield 2005 - present Rev Samuel A.R. Torrens Links, an area which used to be forest. At that 4me, Bruntsfield was well 2011 - present Rev Howard Espie (Emerging Church Facilitator) outside Edinburgh proper. The main road to London ran along the line of Barclay Terrace, past the wood burners' coZages at Wright’s Houses, which stood on either side of the Golf Tavern. THE GROVE STREET MISSION In 1843, at the 4me of the Disrup4on of the Church of Scotland, the Tollcross area was a busy commercial terminus to the canal system which linked Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Forth & Clyde Canal. The area was rough and heavily populated, with many of the dockers living in the area The canal basin, where barges loaded, unloaded and turned round was in the area now occupied by the Lothian Road Cinema building backing on to Semple Street. The area around the basin was industrial. In 1848, the Free Church at St George’s West (not at that 4me in Shandwick Place) began a Mission in Fountainbridge, in Grove Street, which was soon established in a 4n roofed hut. This grew un4l 1853, when it became a 22 3 sanc4oned charge and one year later, in 1854, Fountainbridge Church was built with Rev James Hood Wilson ordained to preach there. By 1860, however, under his inspired leadership, the Mission Church was Significant Architectural Events thriving and the premises were packed to capacity. It was becoming clear that if the work was to con4nue to expand a new Date Event and larger building would be required. Pressure was on the Presbytery of 1861 Compeon held for church design Edinburgh to consider a further building in the Tollcross area. 1862 Building work commenced MARY BARCLAY 23 August 1864 Topping out ceremony Meanwhile, on 3 December 1858, Miss Mary Barclay of 7 Carlton Terrace died, leaving over £10,000 for the erec4on of a Free Church. A Board of 29 December 1864 First service held at Barclay Free Church 17 trustees was appointed and considered sites at Warriston, St Leonards and the Grange un4l the present site was chosen. September 1880 Church reopened aer alteraons The choice of site was heavily influenced by three factors: 1892 Church halls added • The expansion and success of the work of the Grove Street 1898 Organ case built Mission (a Free Church Mission) under the leadership of James Hood Wilson, demonstrated that this densely populated area 1947 Post-war upgraded heang and decoraon by Harry would benefit from a Free Church presence. Taylor, Church of Scotland architects • James Hood Wilson's heart was in the work in Tollcross and 1966-69 Repairs Fountainbridge and he was loath to consider a move. He remained as the first Minister of the Barclay Church un4l his death in 1906. 1969 Organ restoraon & new Hilsdon console • But perhaps the principal factor was the existence of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in the area. The erec4on of Barclay 1976 Spire reconstruc4on Church, like so many other church buildings, was a product of 1998-99 “Towards 2000” Church redevelopment ecclesias4cal compe44on rather than cooperaon! The church was erected to rescue the populaon of Tollcross and 2009 Church Centre redevelopment Fountainbridge from "papis4cal ideas" and "romish influence". th 2014 150 anniversary PLANNING AND BUILDING On the site of the proposed church stood a Georgian house which was demolished, and a compe44on for architects to design the church for the somewhat oddly shaped area announced. The design brief contained instruc4ons such as the use of local stone (Binny and Redhall 4 21 A note about the congrega.on quarries), provision of deeply inset doors to provide protec4on from the The congregaon in Barclay Viewforth today is an amalgamaon of wind, seang for 1200 and a cost of under £8,000. various congregaons. In 1980 the Barclay congregaon was formed The winner, in 1861, was Frederick Thomas Pilkington (1832-1898). by the union of Barclay Bruntsfield Church and Chalmers Lauriston Barclay was his first major work. It aracted a lot of interest - not all Church. complimentary. It would appear the unfavourable comments put him The Barclay Bruntsfield congregaon was a union of the original off, as he never did anything as striking again. He was known for Barclay congregaon with the congregaon of Bruntsfield Church in developing the Victorian High Gothic revival style, which was adapted to 1965. fit with the needs of the Free Church of Scotland, where the pulpit (from where the ‘Word of God’ was preached) was the main focus rather than The Chalmers Lauriston congregaon was formed from the Chalmers the usual nave and aisle. Church (on the West Port, now demolished) and the Lauriston Pilkington was later described as a “Rogue Architect”! The descrip4on Church, which stands in Lauriston Place. was probably apt because although he was very successful with the Viewforth Church congregaon was formed from a union with St many buildings he had constructed, he never created a cult which others Owalds Church in 1957 and St Davids Church in 1973 followed – he was a definite “one off”. In August 2009 the two congregaons of Barclay Church and Some of his buildings in Edinburgh and beyond you will recognize Viewforth Church (Gilmore Place) united to form the present Barclay immediately. Viewforth. • The shops and tenement at the end of Grove Street. • Viewforth Free Church, 1871. Today it houses a lively and forward looking congregaon numbering • The South Church in Penicuik and the nearby mill houses on the 350+. other side of the road. • One or two houses in the Grange area – no. 50 Dick Place for example. • He also designed churches at Kelso (very similar to Barclay but smaller), Irvine (again slightly smaller than Barclay and now abandoned) and Innerleithen as well as tenements in the Stockbridge area of the town. Laerly he went to London and built a huge hotel, now demolished, where the entrance door was deliberately made to appear as though it extended 2 storeys, which created a distorted sense of scale. All of his buildings had unusual design features and some clever solu4ons to design problems. The problem that he faced at Barclay was that the site was really too small to fit in a conven4onal building which would provide 1000 plus “Bird’s eye” view from the roof seats. His solu4on was to build “up” at 3 or 4 levels, i.e. with 2 20 5 balconies and 2 “gods” and u4lize the entrance Pillar Hall for addi4onal heang and ligh4ng, carpe4ng and door openings in the exis4ng screen to “overflow” space. form access to the Sanctuary have all improved and enhanced the area as a mee4ng place for refreshments aer services or performances. The The building work started in 1862, and the topping out ceremony (finishing west entrance doors to Bruntsfield Place have been re-opened and of the roof) was at 1 pm on 23 August 1864. The first service in the church adapted and now form the main access to the church building. was held on 29 December 1864. CHURCH CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT Re-seating and alterations in 1880 In 2009 the revised 2nd phase of the envisaged Towards 2000 plan was EDINBURGH.—The Barclay Free Church was reopened on Sunday completed when the Church Halls underwent a transformaon, again after internal renovation and alterations.