History in Structure

St Ninians Church, Commercial Street, Leith, Edinburgh

A Category C Listed Building in Leith, Edinburgh

More Photos »
Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 55.977 / 55°58'37"N

Longitude: -3.1747 / 3°10'28"W

OS Eastings: 326789

OS Northings: 676629

OS Grid: NT267766

Mapcode National: GBR 8S4.FW

Mapcode Global: WH6SM.61H7

Plus Code: 9C7RXRGG+R4

Entry Name: St Ninians Church, Commercial Street, Leith, Edinburgh

Listing Name: Commercial Street and Dock Street, Former Mariner's Church

Listing Date: 30 March 1994

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 363625

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB26800

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200363625

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: Leith

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Church building Architectural structure

Find accommodation in
Seafield

Description

John Henderson, 1839. Former Gothic chapel-of-ease with school attached. Coursed cream sandstone ashlar with polished dressings.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: central Tudor-arched door with heavily moulded reveals surmounted by tablet with carved longboat; tall 3-light Perpendicular window above; whole contained in deeply chamfered pointed-arch recess with crocketed crest. Flanking octagonal towers of 3 diminishing stages breakthrough single gable span; 1st stage (to eaves and impost course) with lancet to outer face; blank 2nd stage with string course corresponding to gable; 3rd stage lanterns (belfry) with blind lancet to each face; spires removed.

Giant 2-stage base course. Ball finial.

N (COMMERCIAL STREET) ELEVATION: 8-bay; full-height Tudor-arched panels with window openings to each bay with chamfered reveals and recessed dividing panel at centre. 4 bays of church to left with coped parapet. 3rd bay from left with broad access slapped in at ground. Gabled bay 5th from left with arched entrance to hall beyond at ground and window above.

W ELEVATION: 3-bay, gabled; rectangular door at centre with high rectangular flanking windows (replacing later slapped opening); Tudor-arched windows above, blind at base.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: 4 bays of church to right with windows as above. Irregular rubble range beyond with 2-storey 3-bay deep former school buildings projecting at centre and linking to Citadel (see separate listing).

Windows variously replaced. Grey slates to church; moulded ashlar- coped skews; flat skewputts.

INTERIOR OF CHURCH: gallery supported on cast-iron columns; plaster-ribbed ceiling with stencilling; hoodmoulded blind Tudor arch within larger arch on W wall.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building no longer in use as such. Building is now much altered, although a remarkable amount of the church interior survives considering its current use as a marble cutters workshop. Remaining rooms are used as a carpet warehouse.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

BritishListedBuildings.co.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact BritishListedBuildings.co.uk for any queries related to any individual listed building, planning permission related to listed buildings or the listing process itself.

British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website.