History in Structure

St Mark's Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh

A Category B Listed Building in Edinburgh, Edinburgh

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.9485 / 55°56'54"N

Longitude: -3.2055 / 3°12'19"W

OS Eastings: 324813

OS Northings: 673486

OS Grid: NT248734

Mapcode National: GBR 8LH.63

Mapcode Global: WH6SL.QRR5

Plus Code: 9C7RWQXV+CQ

Entry Name: St Mark's Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh

Listing Name: Castle Terrace, St Mark's Church (Unitarian), Including Railings and Lamp Standards

Listing Date: 14 December 1970

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 364601

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB27434

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200364601

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Church building

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Description

David Bryce, 1834-5. Baroque/Mannerist church with Jacobean parapet.

NE (CASTLE TERRACE) ELEVATION: 2-storey and basement 3-bay Baroque elevation to church. Polished sandstone ashlar, channelled to ground floor. Bays divided by channelled pilaster strips to ground (Doric pilasters flanking doorpiece), Corinthian pilasters at 1st floor (paired flanking larger central window). Stone steps over-arching basement area to panelled and decoratively carved 2-leaf studded timber door in round-arched opening; doorpiece with Doric columns and open-topped segmental pediment enclosing heraldic cartouche; blocked windows in moulded surrounds in flanking bays; 3 tall round-headed aproned windows with lattice leaded glazing to 1st floor with scrolled open-topped segmental pediments containing cartouches. Deep bracketed cornice; pierced strapwork parapet to roof, inscribed centre panel (see Notes), scrolled open-topped segmental pediment with cartouche and finials; urns to outer corners.

INTERIOR: slim cast-iron Doric columns and decorative consoles support horse-shoe gallery with original pews; fluted Corinthian columns supporting arched, compartmented ceiling. Round-arched 2-light windows with lozenge-pattern leaded glass flanking white painted, octagonal sounding board with finialled ogee canopy (see Notes). Organ to rear of gallery in carved wooden case (see Notes).

RAILINGS AND LAMP STANDARDS: spear-headed cast-iron railings and decorative cast-iron lamp standards flanking entrance.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Congregation originated 1776; moved from Young Street. Built on part of the glebe of St Cuthbert's Church. Inscription in pediment reads THERE IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS. Of the original pulpit, with precentor's desk and sounding board, only the sounding board remains. Organ, AE Ingram, 1911, in 17th century oak case brought from Dublin in 1842 (Hay). Bryce's exuberant Baroque elevation brings richness to the street frontage, and contrasts with the relative restraint of the interior.

External Links

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