Courtyard With Church-Officer's House, Reid Memorial Church, West Savile Terrace, Edinburgh

Courtyard With Church-Officer's House, Reid Memorial Church, West Savile Terrace, Edinburgh

A group of buildings designed by Leslie Grahame Thompson (later MacDougall) between 1929 and 1933, comprising a church, associated offices, a church officer's house, and a modern church hall to the rear. The buildings are executed in Arts and Crafts Gothic style.

MAIN CHURCH

The church follows a cruciform plan with side aisles, a square tower positioned at the south-east angle, and a cloister court to the east. The structure is built of Craigmillar stone rubble with Doddingston stone dressings. The chancel windows feature curvilinear tracery, while side windows and tower windows employ plate tracery. Flanking buttresses reinforce the walls.

The tower rises five stages with clasping angle buttresses and crenellations. Slit windows pierce the ground, first, second and third stages. The fourth floor features segmental-arched windows.

The east elevation displays a three-light apsidal chancel elevation with steps leading to a carved ground-floor panel. Single-storey cloister buildings adjoin to left and right, with the tower recessed to the right.

The west (entrance) elevation presents steps leading to a segmental-arched doorway at ground level. Flanking the doorway are panelled columns surmounted by carved angels. A carved shield, finial and blind traceried panels ornament the doorpiece. Above sits a segmental-arched recess containing a pointed-arched window to the vestibule.

The south elevation facing West Savile Terrace features an advanced segmental-arched doorway to the outer right with a heavily carved two-leaf panelled door. Carved shields ornament the opening and flanking buttresses. A single window sits above. A five-bay aisle block extends to the left with tripartite windows to the side aisle at ground floor and segmental-arched windows to the nave above. An advanced bay to the left (south transept) displays a pointed-arched window. The tower and church offices adjoin to the outer left.

The north elevation (facing Blackford Avenue) mirrors the south arrangement, with an advanced segmental-arched doorway to the outer left containing a two-leaf carved and panelled door. Carved shields embellish the opening and flanking buttresses. A five-bay aisle block extends to the left with tripartite windows at ground floor and segmental-arched windows above. An advanced bay to the right (north transept) displays a pointed-arched window. A square-plan bell tower with copper cupola stands at the re-entrant angle with the three-bay chancel block to the east.

The interior retains all original fittings. A dominant nave and chancel are flanked by low arcaded side aisles with shallow transepts. The nave features a coffered barrel-vaulted roof. The chancel has a ribbed pointed tunnel vault with decoratively carved bosses. Segmental-arched openings to the side arcades contain original lanterns between the arches. Extensive decorative oak carving embellishes doors, pew fronts, choir stalls and reredos, depicting angels, biblical scenes and religiously symbolic fruit and foliage. A carved stone altar, lectern and pulpit are positioned throughout. A painted panel above the altar depicts Judas' dismissal from the Last Supper. Stained glass chancel windows depict the nativity, crucifixion and ascension.

CLOISTER COURT

The cloister court adjoins the church to the east. Various church offices are linked by loggias to the east and west, with curvilinear walls to the east and an entrance wall to the south. Voussoirs articulate the arched openings. Stylised trefoil motifs ornament the areas above windows. Pitched roof coping surmounts the linking walls with overhanging eaves.

CHURCH OFFICER'S HOUSE

A two-storey, three-bay house with a two-stage octagonal tower positioned at the south-west.

The west (entrance) elevation features steps leading to a central panelled doorway. Trefoil-headed bipartite windows flank the ground floor, and a gabled first-floor bay to the outer right also contains a trefoil-headed bipartite window. The tower contains small windows at ground level and a sundial to the first floor facing the cloister court.

SESSION HOUSE

Adjoining the church tower and the boundary of the cloister court, this single-storey, two-bay structure contains a panelled door with carved architrave to the outer right. An advanced gabled bay to the left displays a bipartite window.

HALL

A single-storey, three-bay structure with an advanced gabled central bay. A linking block connects to a loggia to the right, and an octagonal tower stands to the outer left. The central bay features a round-arched two-leaf panelled door with a carved heraldic panel to the gablehead. Tripartite windows light the flanking bays and the linking block to the west.

Twelve-pane timber casement windows feature throughout the secondary buildings. Grey slate pitched and piended roofs with bell cast detail are crowned by coped wallheads and ridge stacks.

LOGGIAS

A three-bay loggia to the east contains a central speakers' platform with decorative wrought-iron railings. Two-bay blocks flank the main church to the west with bipartite windows to the rear wall. Segmental-arched openings with cornices and carved Maltese cross motifs embellish the springers.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND RAILINGS

Curvilinear walls to the east feature oval openings with wrought-iron insets. An entrance wall to the south contains a central segmental-arched gateway with a decorative wrought-iron gate. Flanking paired inverted voussoir arches incorporate wrought-iron inserts. A low coped rubble wall fronts the street. Panelled gatepiers, original railings and original rainwater goods complete the boundary treatment.