Portobello Old And Windsor Place Parish Church, 16A Bellfield Street, Portobello, Edinburgh

Portobello Old and Windsor Place Parish Church

A Grade B listed church designed by William Sibbald between 1808 and 1810 (dated 1809), with substantial alterations and additions reflecting its expanding congregation and changing needs over nearly two centuries.

The building began as a rectangular-plan galleried church with two storeys across three bays. The principal southeast elevation, facing Bellfield Street, is constructed in polished grey ashlar, while the side and rear elevations are built in sandstone with bull-faced finish to the north jamb added in 1878. Droved ashlar dressings run throughout, with base course, cill course to the first floor, cornice and blocking course.

The southeast elevation features an advanced central bay with a deep-set three-leaf flush panelled door at ground level, topped by a semicircular radial fanlight. The date 1809 is carved in stone above the band course. An architraved square panel occupies the first floor, with a pediment at the eaves. Rising above is a square-section tower added in 1839 with Roman Doric pilasters and entablature. The tower carries circular clock panels to its southeast and southwest elevations (blank to the northeast), and rises to an octagonal section with round-arched openings that alternate between blinded and louvered, capped by a copper cupola and wrought-iron weather vane. Blinded corniced and architraved openings at ground level occupy the flanking bays, with round-arched windows at first floor.

The southwest elevation comprises four bays with round-arched two-storey windows in the first, third and fourth bays (the fourth blinded). The second bay projects forward and is blank except for a small ground-floor window. A later single-storey addition extends from the outer left to reach the church hall.

The northeast elevation contains a two-storey opening in the outer left bay (matching the southwest elevation) which is blinded. The advanced north jamb, added in 1878, displays three bays with windows at ground and round-arched windows at first floor (blinded in the central bay). A stair projection rises in the re-entrant angle to the north, lit at intermediate level. The return elevation of the north jamb facing southeast has three bays with windows to each floor and round-arched windows at first floor.

The northwest elevation features a first-floor window above the stair projection. Three steps lead to a panelled two-leaf door with a rectangular plate glass fanlight above, positioned to the outer right of the stair projection. Two bays to the right, slightly advanced from the stair projection, contain windows at each floor with grouped round-arched windows at first floor. A blinded door occupies the outer right. The modern church hall addition now adjoins this elevation.

The windows vary in type across the building. Sixteen-pane timber sash-and-case windows with timber gothic tracery to semicircular upper sections are fitted to first-floor windows on the southeast elevation. The remaining windows contain leaded lights, some with stained glass. The two-storey windows to the southwest elevation have eight-pane timber outer glazing with plate glass upper sections. First-floor openings elsewhere feature four-pane timber fixed windows with round-arched upper panes and a round pane at the centre of each. The roof is covered in grey slate with piended sections, extended to include the north jamb and the stair projection.

Interior

The interior retains classical character despite nineteenth and twentieth-century modifications. A timber-panelled chancel projects to the southwest, raised by two steps and containing a pilastered carved mahogany communion table with a commemorative plaque to John Grieve of Bank Park Tranent and his son, both office-bearers in January 1923. A pilastered and pedimented three-seated settle stands nearby. A timber entablature divides the chancel from the nave, supporting a large plaster semicircular arch with keystone that incorporates the organ pipes. A fine classical plaster cornice runs round the interior and a plaster ceiling rose occupies the centre.

Timber stepped galleries line each side except the southwest, supported on cast-iron columns. Two aisles to the southeast and north jambs contain timber pews with brass umbrella holders. A mahogany font dated 1925 stands on a platform with ball feet, pilasters to the arrises, and consoles bracketing a corniced upper section with carved decoration. An oak lectern features a chamfered pedestal with a marquetry rosette of the Lamb of God on the front. The timber Renaissance pulpit and choir pews display fine carving.

Coloured glass appears in the lower panels of several windows. Stained-glass windows include a window inscribed "I will make you fishers of men" in the west jamb, designed by Abbey Studio in 1943. Windows at first floor on the southwest elevation are dedicated to Allan Livingston of Joppa, who died in May 1858; these were presented by his daughter in 1895. Wooden and marble monuments from the former Windsor Place church are displayed within.

Graveyard and Setting

The graveyard was extended in 1850 due to overcrowding. Various gravestones stand against the boundary walls and freely within the yard. A burial enclosure to the northwest marks the grave of James Newlands. Pauper stones line the southeast boundary in front of the return elevation of the north jamb.

The boundary walls are constructed in rubble with coping to the southeast. Gatepiers with pyramidal coping and vehicular cast-iron gates occupy the southwest; a pedestrian cast-iron gate with lintel above stands to the northeast.

Alterations and Additions

Alterations and possibly additions were made in 1815. J. Macintyre Henry added the north jamb in 1878. Further alterations and additions occurred in 1934. The church hall was added to the southwest in 1964, built on ground formerly used as graveyard, to designs by Alan Reiach and Partners.