Colinton Parish Church facts for kids
Colinton Parish Church is a church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's part of the Church of Scotland. You can find its building in Dell Road, right next to the Water of Leith.
History of the Church
A church has stood on this spot for about 1000 years! The first church here was called St Cuthbert's Church. It was started in 1095 by Ethelred, who was the son of King Malcolm III.
Later, in 1234, the church became part of Dunfermline Abbey. This was confirmed by a special letter from Pope Gregory.
A new church building was dedicated in 1248. But it might have been destroyed during an English invasion in 1544. The church building we see today has been on this site since 1636. It was rebuilt in 1771 and again in 1907.
The current church building was finished in 1908. It was designed by an architect named Sydney Mitchell. The church kept the old tower from an earlier building, which was designed by David Bryce in 1837. Inside, the church has a unique design with pink sandstone columns.
In 2001, the church had 1175 members. This made it one of the largest churches in the Church of Scotland at that time.
Church Leaders
The leader of a church is called a minister. Some ministers from Colinton Parish Church have become very important leaders in the wider Church of Scotland. They are called the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. This is like being the head of the whole church for a year.
One of the most recent ministers from Colinton to become Moderator was the Very Reverend Dr William Bryce Johnston in 1980. The current minister is the Rev. Rolf Billes.
People Buried Here
The church graveyard and a nearby cemetery are the final resting places for many interesting people.
Some notable people buried here include:
- Rev Lewis Balfour (1777-1860), who was a minister of Colinton and the grandfather of the famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Phoebe Traquair (1840-1912), a talented artist.
- Very Rev William Bryce Johnston, who was a Moderator of the Church of Scotland.
- James Gillespie (philanthropist), a person known for giving money to good causes.
Colinton Cemetery
A cemetery was added next to the old church graveyard in the late 1800s. This area has the village's war memorial. War memorials remember people from the area who died in wars. There is also a special Norwegian war grave here.
The war memorial was designed by Pilkington Jackson.
See also
