Granton Parish Church And Hall, 55-55A Boswall Parkway, Edinburgh

Granton Parish Church and Hall, designed by John F Matthew of Lorimer and Matthew in 1936, is a Church of Scotland extension church built in the Scottish Arts and Crafts tradition. The complex comprises a cruciform-plan church with an adjoining hall to the northeast, linked by a tower and connecting section that creates an overall Z-plan arrangement.

The building is constructed in coursed snecked and rake-jointed Craigmillar sandstone rubble of pinkish hue, with contrasting rockfaced and tooled ashlar dressings. Most parts feature a projecting base course, while splayed rockfaced long and short dressings frame the openings. Projecting stone sills and tooled ashlar coping to eaves and gable ends complete the external detailing.

The nave's west entrance elevation contains a central round-arched entrance with deep splayed reveals, a 2-leaf panelled timber door, and small flanking windows beneath a large oculus. The elevation rises to a shouldered gable with a narrow light at its apex. The north elevation is five bays wide with a doorway to the outer right and round-arched windows to the remaining bays. The south elevation has a doorway to the outer left, a lean-to porch with swept roof in the outer right bay, and round-arched windows to the central three bays.

Both transepts feature shouldered gables with narrow apex lights. The south gable end is lit by a large round-arched window, while the north gable end has a large oculus; each transept has a round-arched window to its right return.

The apse is distinguished by a shouldered gable to the east with a narrow light at its apex and a round-arched window below. Its canted sides have walls that step up from the eaves towards the east, each lit by a smaller round-arched window. A corner is built out at the south re-entrant with a round-arched window. A tower occupies the north re-entrant.

The tower divides into two stages, with a single round-arched louvred window to each face of the upper stage. A tooled ashlar cornice with coping and moulded brackets runs to each side. The tower adjoins a single-storey linking section to the north, which has an entrance with two windows to its right on the east side. The west side of this linking section is flat-roofed and partially obscured by a later stone and timber hall added to the east.

The hall features an entrance porch to the right of its south elevation, marked by a swept gable with tapered buttresses and a narrow apex light. The porch entrance is round-arched with deep splayed reveals and a 2-leaf panelled timber door. Three wide windows sit to the left beneath low eaves. The east elevation displays a shouldered gable with a narrow apex light and a large oculus below. The north elevation comprises four bays, adjoining the flat-roofed linking section which has a door and window to its right.

Throughout the complex, multi-pane leaded windows are used extensively, some incorporating pivot-opening sections. Grey slate roofs with cast iron rainwater goods complete the external fabric.

The interior of the nave is an open hall with a hexagonal barrel-vaulted roof entirely faced in timber: ash panels are set into cedar surrounds studded with two rows of circular lights. The chancel and transepts have similar tripartite roofing. Timber dado runs throughout except in the chancel. An organ with timber fretwork sides occupies the corner of the chancel and north transept. Above the west porch is a loft formed by two double-leaf timber panelled doors with metal grille insets beneath; similar doors serve the transepts. A single stained glass window featuring a cross (a replacement) illuminates the east end. The furnishings, all in oak, include a panel behind the plain communion table, a contemporary font, and a pulpit. Polished birch flooring runs throughout. A high proportion of original fixtures and fittings survive, including fitted cupboards in the choir and session rooms.

The churchyard is enclosed by a low coped coursed rubble wall surmounted by replacement railings. To the east of the church stands a World War I memorial comprising a stone obelisk in three stages mounted on a rockfaced base course, with an inscription on a polished face to the east and a carved sword within a cross above it.