Description

John Henderson, 1840-3. Rectangular-plan 5-bay preaching-box with central E tower and Romanesque details, 2-storey 3-bay manse with Jacobean details to W forming courtyard with former hospital (listed separately). Cream sandstone, ashlar with polished and droved dressings. Cill course; eaves cornice; tall ashlar parapet; coped skews; tall round-arched bipartite windows with heavy quasi-stylised mullions and roundels to spandrels.

E (SHERIFF BRAE) ELEVATION: 3-bay; round-arched doorway to centre in shallow projection, 3 orders of chevron and zig-zag carving, 2 nook- shafts with carved cushion capitals, hoodmould with masque stops, 2-leaf door with blind tracery; tall window above in base of tower; windows flanking to outer bays. Tower rising through apex of gable with angle buttresses and louvred windows to each face, corbel table above, tall octagonal ashlar spire with 2 corbel tables and clock faces at foot framed by octagonal pinnacles with sawtooth facetted caps.

S (MILL LANE) ELEVATION: 5-bay, tall windows to each bay; small round-arched bipartite secondary doorway (now partly blocked) to outer left with cill course stepping over as hoodmould; small opening to outer right.

W ELEVATION: gabled; shallow rectangular projection to centre with lean-to ashlar roof and framed by buttresses; round-arched bipartite window; oculus to gablehead.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: 5-bay; tall windows mostly blocked by addition of brick-built shallow roofed hall built in re-entrant angle with manse.

MANSE: set at right angle to W elevation forming courtyard with former hospital and asylum similarly detailed (see Notes); 3-bay; doorway to centre and regular fenestration, at ground floor bipartite windows to left with timber mullion, window to right altered as French doors; continuous hoodmoulds to ground and 1st floor; eaves line raised over each bay into lugged gable with blind roundel. Coursed rubble to rear

with earlier pediments with carved datestones inset into E gable.

Modern glazing to church; manse with 6- or 16-pane timber sash and case windows. Slate roof; manse with shafted gablehead stacks to E and W elevation.

INTERIOR: church now subdivided horizontally and interior mainly lost; rib-vaulted vestibule with chevron carving and commemorative cartouche inscribed 'St Thomas Church and the adjoining schools were built and endowed AD 1840 by Sir John Gladstone of Fasque a native of Leith'.

RAILINGS: arrowhead railings to manse courtyard and to E front of church (restored 1980s).

Statement of Interest

B group with Nos 4, 6A and 6B Mill Lane. Founded by Sir John Gladstone of Fasque as a memorial to his family. The complex consisted of the church, manse, schoolhouse and a hospital for ten female incurables. The adjoining modern church hall contains internally the former north wall of the manse into which are set 17th century tablets from the house demolished to build the church (the former known as the Shirra/Sherrif House).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17813117

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.

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