St Mary's Parish Church, 13 Bellevue Crescent, Edinburgh

St Mary's Parish Church, Edinburgh

A classical parish church designed by Thomas Brown in 1824, with subsequent internal alterations. The building is a five-by-four-bay structure of two storeys over a concealed basement, constructed in sandstone ashlar with polished finish to the front elevation and droved finish to the sides and rear. Deep base course at principal floor level, band course at first floor, and cornice with blocking course at eaves.

The principal east elevation is symmetrical and dominated by a hexastyle portico of Corinthian columns with a shallow-pitched pediment, approached by ashlar steps spanning the centre three bays. The elevation is divided into bays by Corinthian pilasters. The central three bays contain six-panel two-leaf timber doors with radial fanlights, while the outer bays have round-arched windows with panelled aprons at ground level. First-floor windows are architraved segmental-arched openings with panelled aprons in each bay. Rising behind the pediment is a raised wallhead supporting a four-stage steeple at the centre. The first and second stages are of square plan with each face advanced at the centre. The lower stage bears a carved plaque to its east face. The upper stage features aedicule-like centrepieces on each face, comprising a square panel containing a clock face with carved medallions at the corners, flanked by pilasters rising to shallow-pitched pediments. Greek Doric columns are set at the corners of the second stage. The circular third and fourth stages are tempietto-like in form, each containing eight columns with louvered niches in alternate intercolumnation. The steeple is capped by an attenuated pointed and ribbed dome surmounted by a colonnaded circular lantern with weathervane to the finial.

The south elevation is asymmetrical. The outer right bay is advanced as a return of the principal elevation, framed by Corinthian pilasters, with a panelled apron to a blind round-arched window at ground level and an architraved segmental-arched window with panelled apron at first floor. Regular fenestration occupies the bays to the left, including plain basement windows, round-arched windows with projecting cills at ground and first floors, and eaves course with cornice and blocking course above. A flagged basement area fronts this elevation. The north elevation mirrors the south elevation, also with a flagged basement area.

Throughout the building, timber sash and case windows are employed: eighteen-pane windows at ground floor of the principal elevation with radial pattern to the upper sashes, sixteen-pane windows at upper floor, and eighteen-pane windows to all windows of the side elevations.

The interior features an arched vestibule with twin stair halls opening into a rounded east end of the hall. A U-plan gallery supported on fluted Corinthian columns with cantilever consoles occupies this space. The ceiling is compartmented in Neo-Greek style with a large central rose. Minor alterations were made by John Lessel in 1874 and Sydney Mitchell in 1897, concerning the pulpit seating arrangement and decoration respectively. A drum-shaped pulpit occupies the west wall, fitted with a double stair also altered by Lessels and supporting a sounding board topped by a reeded dome with cresting of antifixae. Free-standing Corinthian columns support this sounding board. A font of 1904 takes the form of a Corinthian column. The organ, by Thomas Lewis, dates to 1882. Stained glass windows include tall windows flanking the pulpit by Abbey Studio of 1941, Bryson memorial windows under the gallery on the south after 1902 and on the north after 1880 by Nathaniel Bryson, and windows above the gallery by Robert Burns of 1924.

Iron railings with spear-head and pineapple finials enclose the basement areas to the north and south elevations.

The roof was not inspected in 1998.