Southside Community Centre
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The Southside Community Centre is a community centre in the Southside,
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 Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The centre opened in 1986 and occupies the former Nicolson Street Church, which was completed in 1820. Nicolson Street Church originated in 1747 when
Adam Gib Adam Gib (15 April 1714 – 14 June 1788) was a Scotland, Scottish religious leader, head of the Antiburgher section of the Scottish Secession Church. He reportedly wrote his first covenant with God in the blood of his own veins. Gib was born ...
led the majority of his congregation out of the
Secession Church The First Secession was an exodus of ministers and members from the Church of Scotland in 1733. Those who took part formed the Associate Presbytery and later the United Secession Church. They were often referred to as Seceders. The underlying ...
at Bristo in opposition to the Burgher Oath. For this reason, Robert Small called the congregation "the mother Secession Church in Edinburgh". Their first permanent meeting place was a simple building off Crosscauseway. This was replaced by the current building on the same site during the ministry of lexicographer
John Jamieson John Jamieson (3 March 1759 – 12 July 1838) was a Scottish minister of religion, lexicographer, philologist and antiquary. His most important work is the ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language''. Life He was born in Glasgow in Ma ...
. A succession of denominational unions saw the congregation join the
United Secession Church The United Secession Church (or properly the United Associate Synod of the Secession Church) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination which existed between 1820 and 1847. History The First Secession from the established Church of Scotland had ...
in 1820, the United Presbyterian Church in 1847, the
United Free Church 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 majority of the 19th-century Free Church of Scotland. The maj ...
in 1900, and 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 ...
in 1929. Once a fashionable society church, the congregation faced decline in the post-war years and merged with Buccleuch and Charteris-Pleasance in 1969 to form Kirk o' Field Parish Church. The building was sold to the
corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
and, after a period as a furniture saleroom, reopened as the Southside Community Centre in 1986. Managed jointly by the city council and the South Side Association, the centre continues to house a range of community facilities and groups. During the
Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
, it is used as a venue under the name Zoo Southside. The building was constructed in 1820 to a
perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...
design by
James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 21 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Much of his work was Scottish baronial in style. A prominent example is Ayton Castle. He also worked in the Gothic Revival ...
. It was gutted by fire and reconstructed by John Ross McKay in 1932. The building was gutted and partitioned internally ahead of its reopening as the Southside Community Centre in 1986. It has been 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, H ...
since 8 September 2003.


Nicolson Street Church


Foundation

Nicolson Street originated in the
Secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
congregation founded at Bristo in 1741 with
Adam Gib Adam Gib (15 April 1714 – 14 June 1788) was a Scotland, Scottish religious leader, head of the Antiburgher section of the Scottish Secession Church. He reportedly wrote his first covenant with God in the blood of his own veins. Gib was born ...
as its minister. The Secession Church soon faced a division over the Burgher Oath of 1690, which required public officials to "profess and allow with all my heart the true religion presently professed within this realm and authorised by the laws thereof". One faction – the Anti-Burghers – held that subscription to this oath was sinful while another – the Burghers – believed it was not. At a meeting in Bristo of the Synod on 9 April 1747, members divided in a schism known as "The Breach".Wishart 1953, p. 8.Gray 1940, p. 106. During the meeting, Gib led out a faction opposed to the oath out of the meeting-house and into the adjoining
manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...
.Pinkerton 2012, p. 15. For a year, the two factions worshipped together in Bristo but relations were tense: each used its own collection plate and members of each faction broke into the church to try and change the locks. The issue had to be settled by the
Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...
, which, finding the congregation had not been a body corporate at the time it purchased its lands at Bristo, ruled that the buildings were legally the property of two Burgher trustees. The Anti-Burgher congregation was thus expelled in January 1753.MacKelvie 1873, p. 189. Despite the fact that only one tenth of the congregation remained with the Burghers, these represented its wealthiest elements and counted for a third of the financial contributions to church funds. The fact that the majority joined the Anti-Burghers led Robert Small, historian of the United Presbyterian Church, to call Nicolson Street "the mother Secession Church in Edinburgh".Small 1904, i p. 431. After their expulsion from the Bristo buildings, the congregation first met in a tent nearby on Windmill Close on 7 January 1753 and afterwards at the Skinners' Hall in the city.Thin 1879, p. 49. A new site off at Quarry Close, off Crosscauseway, was leased in July that year and a new church was opened on 4 November 1753.Wishart 1953, p. 10.Small 1904, i p. 427. The building was, in John Wishart's words, "plain, square, and barn-like". It had no seats apart from in the galleries, which were accessed by external stairs. A
manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...
was built at what is now Gib's Entry: a passage named for its first resident. The church remained in place at the construction of Nicolson Street in the 1760s; however, its primary entrance having been via Crosscauseway, the building now presented its rear to the new street.Wishart 1953, p. 11.Palmer 2007, p. 7.MacKelvie 1873, p. 191.


Early years: 1766–1817

In 1766, some members of the congregation founded an Anti-Burgher congregation in
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
despite opposition from Gib. Gib's refusal to lift the bread to break it during communion services led to some other members of the congregation to depart and set up the Second Secession Church nearby in Potterrow. Gib nevertheless maintained one of the strongest congregations of any denomination in the city. Over 2,000 would regularly come to hear him preach.Pinkerton 2012, p. 18. Following Gib's death in 1788, the congregation went seven years without a permanent minister. In 1791, a controversy over whether the session or the congregation could manage seat rents led the Anti-Burgher Synod to rule that, in all cases, sessions had authority in their congregation's management. The following year, the synod also allowed for the creation of a new congregation in Edinburgh. Yet, when that congregation was barred from calling Frederick McFarlane as its minister, McFarlane briefly set up as an independent preacher in the
Bristo Bristo Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, is a public space on the estate of the University of Edinburgh. It lies in the south of the city, between George IV Bridge and George Square. The most prominent landmark on the square is the category A lis ...
. These factors had much diminished the congregation by the time it appointed a full-time minister, John Banks, in 1794. During
John Jamieson John Jamieson (3 March 1759 – 12 July 1838) was a Scottish minister of religion, lexicographer, philologist and antiquary. His most important work is the ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language''. Life He was born in Glasgow in Ma ...
's ministry from 1797 to 1829, the church constructed halls for dual use by the congregation and by the Anti-Burgher Synod. The buildings were also used as the Synod's theological college.Wishart 1953, p. 15. While divisions between Burghers and Anti-Burghers were dying down in this period, the controversy within the Anti-Burghers between conservative Auld Lichts and progressive New Lichts was growing. In 1806, some Auld Licht members left to join the Old Secession Church on Infirmary Street.


New meeting-house and reunion

In September 1817, part of the
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
collapsed during a service and the meeting-house was condemned as unsafe. The congregation had already been raising funds for repairs since 1815. While a new church was being constructed, the Second Secession Church on Potterrow offered its buildings for afternoon services while the Bristo Burgher Meeting-House was used for evening services. A
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...
design by
James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 21 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Much of his work was Scottish baronial in style. A prominent example is Ayton Castle. He also worked in the Gothic Revival ...
was chosen and a plot of land was purchased so the new building could face onto Nicolson Street. The new church opened for worship on 19 March 1820.Wishart 1953, p. 16.Palmer 2007, p. 8. The building cost £6,000 and could accommodate 1,170 worshippers.Dunlop 1988, p. 64. During this period, the church was known as Dr Jamieson's Meeting-House. The same year, the Burgher and Anti-Burgher factions united to form the
United Secession Church The United Secession Church (or properly the United Associate Synod of the Secession Church) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination which existed between 1820 and 1847. History The First Secession from the established Church of Scotland had ...
. Nicolson Street's minister,
John Jamieson John Jamieson (3 March 1759 – 12 July 1838) was a Scottish minister of religion, lexicographer, philologist and antiquary. His most important work is the ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language''. Life He was born in Glasgow in Ma ...
, had been instrumental in the reunion negotiations and was honoured by being elected moderator of the last Anti-Burgher Synod. Dissatisfaction with the Gothic form of the new church led some members to leave; as did the union, which saw some members join an Anti-Union congregation at Castle Wynd then at Infirmary Street. In 1827, they joined Thomas McCrie's congregation at Davie Street.Small 1904, i p. 429.Dunlop 1988, p. 65.


1820–1900

With the union, the church became one of several Secession congregations in Edinburgh and many members left to join congregations nearer their homes. This loss was compounded by Jamieson's frequent absences for lexicographic work and by difficulties in appointing an assistant minister. With the appointment of George Johnston in 1831, the situation improved: the congregation's roll, which had declined to about 500, doubled in the first year alone.Wishart 1953, p. 17.Pinkerton 2012, p. 23. During Johnston's ministry the church established a school in its halls, which continued until 1858. The congregation also supported foreign and domestic missions, including a mission on Potterrow; raised collections for the abolition of slavery; and founded a savings bank and two friendly societies. In 1833, the congregation founded a missionary society, which continued until the early 20th century.Dunlop 1988, p. 66. In 1834 alone, the congregation raised a
Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
and a congregational library, which house 2,000 volumes by 1850. In 1858, Nicolson Street appointed David Kennedy (singer), David Kennedy as
precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...
; though the congregation did not adopt the practice of singing hymns until 1862.Wishart 1953, p. 21. Johnston had been instrumental in the negotiations to unite the United Secession Church with the
Relief Church The Relief Church (or Presbytery of Relief) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination founded in 1761. In 1847 it united with the United Secession Church to form the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. In relation to the history of the Chur ...
to form the United Presbyterian Church in 1847. In 1852, Johnston was elected moderator of the denomination's general assembly. In the year of the union, some members of Nicolson Street established a new mission at Duncan Street in Newington.Wishart 1953, p. 22. By the end of Johnston's ministry, the Southside was becoming an increasingly working class and industrial neighbourhood and Nicolson Street was losing status as a society church. After Johnston's death in 1871, many members left for suburban churches.Wishart 1953, p. 24. David Christie was elected minister in 1897 and proved a popular preacher and lecturer. During his ministry, the church's membership and financial position improved, standing at 754 in 1900.Small 1904, i p. 430.


20th century

In 1900, the United Presbyterian Church united with the
Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...
and Nicolson Street joined the newly formed
United Free Church 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 majority of the 19th-century Free Church of Scotland. The maj ...
. Some members left with the departure of Christie's successor Campbell Macleroy in 1909. Under Macleroy's successor George Wyllie Howie, however, the congregation tripled.Wishart 1953, p. 25. Howie also oversaw the establishment of a women's guild of friendship, a men's club, and
Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
and
Guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...
troops. The halls were also extended and a pipe organ installed during his ministry.Pinkerton 2012, p. 28. In 1929, the United Free Church united with 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 ...
and the congregation rejoined the denomination from which it had split almost two centuries prior. In 1932, fire gutted the church, necessitating the complete reconstruction of its interior.Wishart 1953, p. 26. The interwar years would prove a high point for the congregation's membership, which stood at 1,041 in 1930, declining to 617 by 1960.Pinkerton 2012, p. 30. With the departure of John Nelson Hall as minister in 1956, union was proposed between Nicolson Street and College on South College Street. Nicolson Street was supportive but College blocked the move.Pinkerton 2012, p. 31. Nicolson Street received around a hundred members from College when that congregation was transported to
Muirhouse Muirhouse is a housing estate in the north of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Location The housing estate of Muirhouse (Pennywell and Muirhouse) is bounded by Muirhouse Parkway to the North, Pennywell Road to the East, Ferry Road to the So ...
in 1960.Palmer 2007, p. 19. Nicolson Street also took up College's social club. This supplemented a strong roster of church groups, which included a women's guild, a
Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christianity, Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman William Alexander Smith (Boys' Brigade), Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun acti ...
troop, missionary societies, and
rambling Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of Rights of way in England and Wales, rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Fu ...
and
bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
clubs.Pinkerton 2012, p. 29. By the 1960s, population decline in the Southside had depleted Nicolson Street and its neighbouring congregations. The church also stood within an area planned for intensive redevelopment by both the
corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
and the
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
.Pinkerton 2012, p. 32. When the ministry of Buccleuch fell vacant in 1964, that congregation sought union with Nicolson Street but this was blocked by the presbytery. Another attempt at union between the two congregations in 1967 failed, as did ambitious plans the same year for a six-way union between Nicolson Street, Buccleuch, Charteris-Pleasance, Newington and St Leonard's, St Paul's Newington, and St Margaret's,
Dumbiedykes Dumbiedykes () is a residential area in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It mainly comprises Public housing in the United Kingdom, public housing developments. It is bounded in the north by Holyrood Road, the west by the The Pleasance (stree ...
. The following year, a five-way union, excluding St Paul's Newington, also fell through. Eventually, a three-way union with Buccleuch and Charteris-Pleasance was agreed and a service of union was held on 7 September 1969. The united congregation adopted the name Kirk o' Field and met in the Charteris-Pleasance buildings on the
Pleasance Pleasance may refer to: People * Pleasance Pendred (1864–1948), British women's rights activist and suffragette * Pleasance Smith (1773–1877), English letter writer, literary editor and centenarian * Richard Pleasance, Australian rock musici ...
.


Ministers

The following ministers served Bristo Secession Church (1741–1753); Quarry's Close Anti-Burgher Secession Church (1753–1820); Nicolson Street United Secession Church (1820–1847); Nicolson Street United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900); Nicolson Street United Free Church (1900–1929); and Nicolson Street Church of Scotland (1929–1969). * 1741–1794
Adam Gib Adam Gib (15 April 1714 – 14 June 1788) was a Scotland, Scottish religious leader, head of the Antiburgher section of the Scottish Secession Church. He reportedly wrote his first covenant with God in the blood of his own veins. Gib was born ...
* 1794–1796 John Banks * 1797–1829
John Jamieson John Jamieson (3 March 1759 – 12 July 1838) was a Scottish minister of religion, lexicographer, philologist and antiquary. His most important work is the ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language''. Life He was born in Glasgow in Ma ...
* 1831–1871 George Johnston * 1869–1883 Peter B. Gloag * 1885–1896 John T. Burton * 1897–1903 David Christie * 1904–1909 Campbell MacQueen Macleroy * 1909–1924 George Wyllie Howie * 1925–1938 William Galbraith Taylor * 1939–1943 George Omond MacKenzie * 1944–1948 Arthur Henry Manson Johnston * 1949–1956 John Nelson Hall * 1957–1966 Robert Alexander Robertson


Southside Community Centre


History

At its closure, Nicolson Street Church was sold to the
corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
for use as a community centre; though it was initially used as a furniture saleroom.Palmer 2007, p. 18.Pinkerton 2012, p. 151. The community centre is the result of a long campaign by the South Side Association for a permanent meeting place. Prior to the centre's opening, the association had worked across a variety of venues in the Southside. The centre was opened in December 1986 by George Foulkes MP, who, as chair of
Lothian Regional Council Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...
's Education Committee had supported the procurement process necessary for the centre. Edinburgh City Council insisted the new venue be named the Southside Community Education Centre while the South Side Association preferred Southside Community Centre. The difference was overcome by having two separate signs, one on either side of the entry, each with the different name. This situation continues to the present.Palmer 2007, p. 4. In its early years, the centre was the site of local political activity, hosting meetings of the Anti-
Poll Tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...
Alliance and as a distribution base for surplus dairy products. The centre also became the site of a children's play-scheme, which used the Meadows for games.Palmer 2007, p. 5. The initial plans for the building included a sports centre. This proved impossible; however, the centre supported the creation of the Crags Sports Centre as an alternative.Palmer 2007, p. 5.


Today

The building is owned and staffed by
Edinburgh City Council The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann'') is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Sco ...
. It is leased to the South Side Community Association and run by a management committee. The building consists of two general purpose rooms, a café, a large hall, and an office. Rooms are available for hire and the centre is used as a venue during the
Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
. Artist who have performed here include
Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regula ...
.Palmer 2007, p. 6. As a Fringe venue, the centre is presently managed by Zoo Venues as Zoo Southside.


Building

The current buildings was completed in 1820 to a
perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ⟠...
design by
James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 21 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Much of his work was Scottish baronial in style. A prominent example is Ayton Castle. He also worked in the Gothic Revival ...
. The
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
consists of five
bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
with traceried windows beneath a
crenellated A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
. The central door is covered by a
hood mould In architecture, a hood mould, hood, label mould (from Latin , lip), drip mould or dripstone is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater, historically often in form of a '' pediment''. This moulding can be ...
on headstops. The bays are divided by
pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...
s, which at the outer bays, rise on
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es. The central two pinnacles rise on shafts to around 90 ft (27.4m). The pinnacles were removed in 1980 but have since been replaced.Stark 1825, p. 230.Gifford, McWilliam, Walker 1984, p. 241. The Southside Community Centre has been 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, H ...
since 8 September 2003.


Assessment

Secession churches had tended to be plain and the use of
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...
architecture at Nicolson Street was the subject of controversy even before construction began. ''
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
'' commented: "so great is the Gothic rage got that it is even proposed to rebuild the meeting-house of
Adam Gib Adam Gib (15 April 1714 – 14 June 1788) was a Scotland, Scottish religious leader, head of the Antiburgher section of the Scottish Secession Church. He reportedly wrote his first covenant with God in the blood of his own veins. Gib was born ...
with a Babylonish and Prelatical front of Gothic architecture".Wishart 1953, p. 16.Palmer 2007, p. 8. John Stark, writing in 1825, identified the headstops of the main door as saints and commented: "This simple circumstance of itself bespeaks a wonderful change in the tone of thinking of the present and last age". Stark also quotes an elderly disciple of Gib, who, when asked what the congregation's founder would have made of the heads, replied: "that he would not believe his ain een". Dissatisafaction with the Gothich form of the new church was among the reasons that some members left Nicolson Street to join a new congregation at Castle Wynd.Small 1904, i p. 429.Dunlop 1988, p. 65. Despite this controversy, George Hay cited Nicolson Street as a "typical example" of Secession churches' tendencies to be "a gaunt galleried rectangle with such architectural treatment as funds would permit confined to the street
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
". He noted that, in this approach, it is similar to
James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 21 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Much of his work was Scottish baronial in style. A prominent example is Ayton Castle. He also worked in the Gothic Revival ...
's earlier design for St Mary's Roman Catholic Chapel.Hay 1957, p. 134. Andrew Landale Drummond, writing in 1934, described the church as "a square meeting-house masked by a pretentious Gothic façade".


Alterations and fittings

After fire gutted the church in 1932, the interior was reconstructed under John Ross McKay. McKay removed the side galleries while reconstructing a larger gallery over the entry. The interior now centred on a central
niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...
. The
organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...
, which had formerly stood over the
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
, was recessed in this niche over the
vestries A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spent nearly one-fi ...
and behind a carved wooden screen. In front of this stood
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
, which incorporated a niche for a
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
, and the
communion table Communion table and Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the ...
, which incorporated two plaques from the church's
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
memorial. This arrangement stood on a raised platform, which incorporated a sunken pit for the organ console. The whole arrangement, as well as the flat ceiling and the gallery front, incorporated detailed wood carving and took inspiration from
Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, Order of the British Empire, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scotland, Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, f ...
's designs for the
Scottish National War Memorial The Scottish National War Memorial is located in Edinburgh Castle and commemorates Scottish service personnel and civilians, and those serving with Scottish regiments, who died in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts. Its chief archite ...
.Wishart 1953, pp. 26–27.Drummond 1934, pp. 325–326. The communion table was moved to
Kirk o' Field The Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Fields (commonly known as Kirk o' Field) was a pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Likely founded in the 13th century and secularised at the Reformation, the chur ...
after Nicolson Street's closure. At the church's conversion to a community centre, the interior was gutted and partitioned. The church's first pipe organ was a two-manual instrument of 1912 by
Eustace Ingram Eustace Ingram (6 August 1839 – 10 December 1924) was a British organ builder based in London.Organa Britannica. Organs in Great Britain 1660 – 1860. James Boeringer. Bucknell University Press. 1989. Early life and work He was born in 1839 ...
. Ingram rebuilt the organ after the 1932 fire. The organ was removed in 1973 and parts of it reused at
Carrick Knowe Carrick Knowe is a suburb in the west of Edinburgh in Scotland, located approximately 3 miles from the city centre. It is bordered by Tyler's Acre to the north, the Glasgow/Aberdeen railway line to the south, Carrick Knowe Golf Course to the eas ...
Parish Church.


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * Lamb, John Alexander ** ** * * * * * Pinkerton, Roy M. ** ** * * Scott, Hew ** ** * * *


External links


Southside Community Centre

Historic Environment Scotland: 117 NICOLSON STREET, SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTRE, FORMER NICOLSON STREET CHURCH WITH WALL AND RAILINGS: LB49458

Canmore: Edinburgh, 117 Nicolson Street, Community Centre

Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Nicolson Street Church


{{Edinburgh Festival Fringe Buildings and structures in Edinburgh 18th-century establishments in Scotland 1986 establishments in Scotland Churches completed in 1820 1753 establishments in Scotland