Meadowbank and Willowbrae Church (known until 2017 as Holyrood Abbey Church, and then until 2025 as Meadowbank Church) is a congregation of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland. It is based in a late-

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

church building on London Road, Abbeyhill, around north of

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

. The church building was opened in December 1900 as Abbeyhill United Free Church. The 12th-century Holyrood Abbey served as the parish church of the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. David ...

until the construction of the Kirk of the Canongate in 1688. Following the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...

in the Church of Scotland, part of the congregation of the Kirk of the Canongate left to form Holyrood Free Church. A new building was constructed by them on Abbey Strand, in front of the

Palace of Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has ...

. In 1915 this congregation united with Abbeyhill United Free Church, henceforth using the church buildings at 83 London Road. When the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; , ) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and the Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), majority of the 19th-cen ...

united with the

in 1929, the congregation became known as Holyrood Abbey Church. The former Holyrood United Free Church building adjacent to the Palace was used for many years as a storeroom, but in 2002 was extensively renovated and reopened as The Queen's Gallery, for art exhibitions from the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

. The building at 83 London Road was designed by R M Cameron, and is protected as a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It was extensively upgraded in 2006–2007. The name Meadowbank and Willowbrae Church was adopted following a union between the congregations of Meadowbank Church of Scotland and Willowbrae Parish Church in September 2023. A closing service was held in the Willowbrae building (formerly known as New Restalrig) in June 2025 and that building is expected to be put up for sale by the end of 2025. In 2014 the minister of Holyrood Abbey Church resigned over his disagreement with the Kirk's decision to accept homosexual ministers in marriages and civil partnerships. He led many of the congregation to set up Holyrood Evangelical Church, an independent congregation. Due to the shortage of Church of Scotland ministers, and following the schisms within Holyrood Abbey and the nearby New Restalrig Parish Church, the Presbytery of Edinburgh decided to close the building on the corner of London Road and Easter Road used by London Road Church and unite that congregation with the remaining members of the Holyrood Abbey congregation. The union took place in February 2017 and the combined congregation was known as Meadowbank Church.

References

External links

Meadowbank and Willowbrae Church of Scotland websiteHolyrood Evangelical Church website
Church of Scotland churches in Edinburgh Listed churches in Edinburgh Category B listed buildings in Edinburgh Churches completed in 1900 20th-century Church of Scotland church buildings {{Scotland-CoS-church-stub