Ratho Burial Ground, Edinburgh

Ratho Burial Ground, Edinburgh

This is a 12th century Romanesque church of substantial historical importance, with major additions from the late 17th century, circa 1830, and the earlier 20th century. The building comprises a rectangular nave with aisle additions to the north and south.

The earliest masonry is of squared sandstone. The north aisles are coursed sandstone rubble. The 19th century work is squared and snecked sandstone with stugged quoins, while the 20th century additions use ashlar. Throughout, windows feature pointed arches with Y-tracery; those on the south elevation have hoodmoulds above them with ashlar margins and chamfered arrises.

The south elevation, dating from circa 1830, is the entrance front. It presents a symmetrical 4-bay design with three projecting gables of the south aisle and recessed gabled porch bays to left and right, with the nave running east-west behind. At the centre is a droved sandstone porch of circa 1930, featuring an ashlar half-piend roof and a 2-leaf door with diamond-pane upper panels. Windows with Y-tracery stone mullions are regularly placed at clerestorey level in the gables, and the centre gable has a cross finial at its apex. Windows flank the re-entrant angles on the east and west returns. A door sits at the centre of the recessed gabled porch bay with a window above. On the south wall of the nave at the junction with the east porch, the blocked remains of a half 12th century door survive, its outer order remaining intact, featuring a scalloped capital and a saw-tooth hoodmould. A window stands immediately to the outer left.

The east elevation contains a large 3-light traceried window. Approximately 11 feet above ground is a consecration cross, about 4 inches in diameter, with four arms within an incised circle. To the right, recessed, is the east return of the north aisle, which was built as a burial chamber of the Morton family. It has an ashlar chamfered margin and a lintel inscribed "Anno S.D. AG.HF 1683". A 2-leaf panelled door with diamond-pane fanlight provides access.

The west elevation has a battered base course. A substantial buttress of late 13th or 14th century date stands at the centre, with lesser ones at either end of the gable. A string course runs above the base level of the centre buttress. Small, rectangular, deeply-set windows flank the centre buttress at clerestorey level, now containing modern stained glass. Surmounting the centre buttress is a later square-section, round-arched ashlar birdcage bellcote of circa 1820. The bell is manually operated, and a deep groove worn in the buttress records the passage of the bell-chain over time. The gablehead is set back with stone coping. Recessed to the right is the west return of the entrance porch, and recessed to the left is the west return of the north aisles.

The north elevation displays a nave with 17th century gabled aisles built to the east. Three bays of nave lie to the right of the aisles, with a battered base course of square sandstone and reconstructed windows. A gabled aisle to the left is constructed of random rubble with dressed quoins. At the centre is a door with a chamfered ashlar margin continuing into an overdoor of paired blocked arches with a blocked oculus at the spandrel. A flush 6-panelled door with a 5-pane letter-box fanlight, each pane featuring a leaded diamond motif, provides entry. To the right of the west return is a rectangular window opening with paired arched wooden windows. A flat-roofed link block with ashlar cornice projects to the left, advanced beyond the line of the west aisle. A gabled east aisle to the outer left is further advanced and higher than the west aisle, with a window at its centre featuring Y-tracery stone mullion and transom, crowned by a cinquefoil finial at the apex of the gable.

Glazing throughout uses leaded diamond-panes, with stained glass in the east gable windows. The roof is of graded grey slate with a semi-circular stone ridge. Ashlar coping runs to the skews and skew blocks on the south, north, and east elevations. A square, coped wallhead stack stands between the north aisles. A flat-roofed louvred ventilation opening on the north roof slope is a modern addition.

The interior has had its original fittings removed during alterations of 1932. The rubble interior is heavily repointed. The current wooden church furniture dates from 1932, with the altar table positioned at the north side of the nave. The arches on the north side, flanking the altar, formerly the burial aisles, now house the pulpit to the left and the organ to the right. Stained glass appears only at the west end. A gallery runs along the west side. The roof is wooden. A 13th century grave slab bearing an incised cross and sword lies in the south porch.

The Session House, dating from circa 1830, is a single-storey, rectangular-plan lodge-type structure. It is constructed of stugged ashlar with rusticated quoins and chamfered ashlar margins. The south elevation, facing the road, has a gable with a pointed arch window at its centre, featuring timber Y-tracery with border-glazing and a hoodmould. To the right of the window is a plaque commemorating William Whitelaw LLD of Hatton. The quoins align with a gatepier built into the right corner. The north and west elevations are blank. The east elevation is a 2-bay entrance front with a door to the left and a 12-pane sash and case window to the right, featuring Y-tracery with glazed margins. The roof is of grey slate with ashlar saddleback coping to the skews and skew blocks. Tall, coped apex stacks with diamond alignment on square bases crown the building.

The graveyard contains a variety of fine early gravestones dating from the 17th century. Within the south porch is a circa 14th century tomb-slab bearing an incised cross and sword within a margin. To the southwest of the south porch is a tomb, possibly of the mid 18th century, consisting of a panelled coffin formed from a single stone. It was probably carved by John Mitchell and commemorates William Mitchell, who died by a stroke from a thrashing machine in 1809.

The church and graveyard are surrounded by a rubble wall with semi-circular coping.

Gatepiers of circa 1830 comprise rusticated ashlar piers with a fluted frieze and cornice. The pier to the left forms the corner of the session house.