Muirhouse St Andrews Parish Church And Halls (Church Of Scotland), 42 Pennywell Gardens

Harry Taylor, 1962-1965. Predominantly double height, square-plan Modernist church; orientated on diagonal axis, symmetrical S (principal) corner elevation with large recessed entrance and concrete sculpture to canted overhang (see NOTES); roofline canted up to sharp point on S and N corner elevations; single storey section wrapped around N corner elevation, with returns to principal S corner elevation. Artificial stone base course; predominantly cavity brick construction, cement harl; concrete eaves course; precast concrete steps. Chamfered cills. Small rectangular clearstory windows predominantly aligned to roofline; full-height glazing separated by tapered concrete mullions and timber transom to single storey section. Paired timber and glazed entrance doors, flanked by concrete cased chamfered stanchions. Cast-iron bell on concrete bracket above entrance. Cut-out to N corner elevation with structural painted steel I-beam crucifix. Roughly Z-plan church halls and vestry adjoined to NW corner.

Predominately replacement opaque polycarbonate glazing in timber fixed pane windows, some awning windows to upper pane of single storey section; coloured glass to clearstory; some plate glass to church halls in variety of timber framed fixed pane with pivot or awning windows. Concrete tiled, pitched roof to church; flat felt roof to single storey section and church halls.

INTERIOR (seen 2010): Modernist design scheme to interior. Greek cross windows with distinctive blue stained glass to inner wall of entrance vestibule. Stepped, square plan tiled dais; painted timber pews angled to plan; timber organ gallery over entrance with simple timber balustrade; earlier bronze memorial plaques; suspended boarded-cedar ceiling. Painted aerated concrete blocks to interior walls of church. Predominantly timber with narrow fixed pane glazing 2-leaf doors to church. Timber stage to E of large church hall.

CHURCH HALLS AND VESTRY: 5-bay, double height, rectangular-plan hall adjoined to church by single storey, rectangular block to SE elevation accommodating vestry and offices; single storey, square-plan hall abutted to SW corner. Painted vertical timber boarding below and above windows to S elevation of church hall and below windows to W elevations.