Churchill Theatre, Morningside Road, Edinburgh

The Churchill Theatre, Morningside Road, Edinburgh, was originally built in 1892 as a Free Church by Hippolyte J Blanc. It was later converted into a theatre between 1962 and 1965. The building is a substantial rectangular structure with the base of an unfinished tower located at the southwest corner, displaying Renaissance detailing. It is constructed primarily of red sandstone, with ashlar facing on the front elevation and coursed, square rubble to the rear and sides, all with ashlar dressings. The exterior features a base course, a moulded corbel course above the ground floor, cills and impost courses to the principal windows, an eaves cornice with a balustraded parapet and dies topped with ball finials, rusticated quoins, and squat Ionic columns used as mullions.

The west (front) elevation is three bays wide, with the base of the tower to the far right and a lower, single-bay side wing projecting to the outer left. A tripartite entrance is centrally positioned, divided by Doric columns. The central doorway is round-arched and keystoned, with swagged panels above the outer doors, broad channelled jambs, and small windows with decoratively carved aprons flanking it. A later canopy covers the doorway. Above this is a large, keystoned Venetian window flanked by giant paired pilasters. Floral carvings decorate the spandrels, and a pediment breaks the eaves above, containing a swagged and louvred oval window. The outer bays display angle pilasters, single windows with semi-circular pediments, and panels with floral carving above. The base of the tower to the right is flat-roofed with a small, corniced tripartite window set above the corbel course. The lower side wing features a single window and a corniced tripartite window above its corbel course, with detailing matching the rest of the front elevation.

The north elevation is four bays wide, featuring a main auditorium with a cill band course and segmental-arched windows with bull's-eye windows above. A corniced and keystoned secondary door has banded jambs. To the left is a lower, two-storey, five-bay hall with single and bipartite windows. The south elevation is similar to the north, with segmental-arched and bull's-eye windows (now blocked up) contained within a giant, banded arch. A modern fire escape stair is also present.

The windows throughout are timber casements with border glazing and square leaded panes. The building is roofed with slate, and features moulded eaves gutter and gutterheads.

The interior of the main auditorium is subdivided horizontally, with architraved and keystoned window surrounds. It has a dentilled cornice with a broad frieze, moulded transverse beams supporting a depressed-arch barrel vault with plaster rosettes. A former organ chamber is located on the west side, featuring a compartmental ceiling and a blind timber Venetian surround. A tiled vestibule is panelled with timber, has architraved doorways, and a compartmental ceiling supported by floreate consoles. The rear half of the vestibule has a compartmental coombed ceiling rising from floreate corbels and features central skylights.