St Ninians Church, Commercial Street, Leith, Edinburgh

John Henderson, 1839. Former Gothic chapel-of-ease with school attached. Coursed cream sandstone ashlar with polished dressings.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: central Tudor-arched door with heavily moulded reveals surmounted by tablet with carved longboat; tall 3-light Perpendicular window above; whole contained in deeply chamfered pointed-arch recess with crocketed crest. Flanking octagonal towers of 3 diminishing stages breakthrough single gable span; 1st stage (to eaves and impost course) with lancet to outer face; blank 2nd stage with string course corresponding to gable; 3rd stage lanterns (belfry) with blind lancet to each face; spires removed.

Giant 2-stage base course. Ball finial.

N (COMMERCIAL STREET) ELEVATION: 8-bay; full-height Tudor-arched panels with window openings to each bay with chamfered reveals and recessed dividing panel at centre. 4 bays of church to left with coped parapet. 3rd bay from left with broad access slapped in at ground. Gabled bay 5th from left with arched entrance to hall beyond at ground and window above.

W ELEVATION: 3-bay, gabled; rectangular door at centre with high rectangular flanking windows (replacing later slapped opening); Tudor-arched windows above, blind at base.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: 4 bays of church to right with windows as above. Irregular rubble range beyond with 2-storey 3-bay deep former school buildings projecting at centre and linking to Citadel (see separate listing).

Windows variously replaced. Grey slates to church; moulded ashlar- coped skews; flat skewputts.

INTERIOR OF CHURCH: gallery supported on cast-iron columns; plaster-ribbed ceiling with stencilling; hoodmoulded blind Tudor arch within larger arch on W wall.