Mortuary Chapel, Royal Hospital For Sick Children, Sciennes Road, Edinburgh

The Mortuary Chapel at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children on Sciennes Road in Edinburgh was designed by George Washington Browne in 1895 as part of the main hospital building. This single-storey, four-bay chapel has a rectangular plan and features asymmetrical elevations. It is notable for its outstanding mural scheme created by Phoebe Anna Traquair in 1885, which was relocated here in 1895. The chapel is situated at the northeast corner of the main hospital building.

The exterior includes a pair of shouldered arched stone doorways on the left side, set in a slightly advanced double bay. It has a piended roof with a lower mansard at the front elevation, complemented by box dormers. The windows are mullioned leaded bipartite, tripartite, and quad-partite on the east gable, while the rear is constructed of plainer brick with a slate roof and timber windows featuring leaded panes.

Inside, the chapel boasts an exceptional decorative scheme with richly symbolic Arts and Crafts murals by Phoebe Traquair. These murals were originally executed in 1885 at Meadowside House and were transferred to this site under her supervision in 1895. The mural panels above the timber boarded dado rail depict angels singing the Sanctus, surrounded by six horizontal friezes featuring doves, flowers, and rams that represent the six days of creation. There is also an inset panel depicting the Annunciation and Crucifixion, and the coombed ceiling is painted with a cross and circles, symbols of eternal life.