St Paul's and St George's Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Paul's and St George's Church
St Paul's and St George's Church
St Paul's and St George's Church Location in Edinburgh city centre
55°57′24.47″N 3°11′18.81″W / 55.9567972°N 3.1885583°W / 55.9567972; -3.1885583
Location	Edinburgh
Country	Scotland
Denomination	Scottish Episcopal Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical
History
Former name(s)	St Paul's Chapel
Architecture
Heritage designation	Category A listed building
Designated	1966
Architect(s)	Archibald Elliot
Style	Gothic Revival nave-and-aisle
Years built	1816-1818
Administration
Diocese	Edinburgh
Province	Scotland

St Paul's and St George's Church, often called "Ps and Gs," is a church in central Edinburgh, Scotland. It belongs to the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is similar to the Church of England.

You can find the church at the corner of Broughton Street and York Place. This area is part of Edinburgh's New Town. The building is very important, so it is protected as a category A listed building.

The church building was first known as St Paul's Church. It replaced an older church in the Cowgate area. Archibald Elliot designed the church between 1816 and 1818. Later, in the 1890s, Peddie and Kinnear made it bigger. In 1932, this church joined with St George's Church, which was also on York Place. The York Place tram stop is very close to the church. The beautiful east window inside was made by Francis Eginton from Birmingham.

In 2008, the church finished a big project that cost £5.6 million. This project helped to make the church facilities much better.

A Look Back: Church History

The former St George's Chapel, York Place (closed 1932)

In the 1700s, people in Edinburgh who were Episcopalians (a type of Christian) met in small chapels. On August 18, 1708, a new group started meeting in a room on Castle Hill. This group was founded by John Smith, a lawyer. He came to Scotland after the countries of England and Scotland joined in 1707.

As more people joined, John Smith wanted to build a proper church. In 1722, the "New Chapel" opened in the Cowgate area. It became very popular. By 1745, the group bought the building next door to make the chapel even larger.

In 1774, the church moved to a new building at the east end of the Cowgate. This building is now St Patrick’s RC. However, many wealthy church members began moving out of the old part of Edinburgh. They moved to the newer homes in the New Town. Because of this, the church needed to move again.

The leaders decided to build two new churches: one in the west and one in the east. The church we know today, St Paul’s Chapel, was built for the east end. It was officially opened on January 30, 1818. The architect, Archibald Elliot, based his design on the famous King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

Building the church cost £12,000. This money was raised by people giving donations. The church where the famous writer Walter Scott's family sat can now be seen in St Mary's Cathedral.

The land where the church stands used to be a coachyard. This was a place where horses and coaches were kept. The wall at the back of the church is the original wall from that coachyard. As trains became popular, the coach business slowed down.

By 1891, the church decided to make the building bigger. They added a new section called the Chancel to the east. The main door was also moved further west on York Place.

Another Episcopalian church, St George's, already existed on York Place. It was built in 1794. In 1932, St Paul's and St George's churches joined together. The old St George's Church closed down. Its building is now used as a casino.

Inside the church, some changes were made. Balconies were removed, and the organ was moved. A new pulpit (where the preacher stands) and a beautiful screen were added. This screen shows Jesus with children, and saints Paul and Cuthbert.

A small new chapel was made inside the old entrance. This chapel was later dedicated to soldiers who died in the First World War. The large window at the west end of the church was moved there. New windows were put in the east end, showing early Celtic saints. There is also a small stained glass window from the old Cowgate Chapel in the Vestry.

The church organ is very old. It was first in the Cowgate Chapel and moved to York Place in 1818. It has been updated several times.

On the north-east side, there is a bell tower with one bell. This bell was moved there in 1818. It was originally part of a set of three bells bought for King Charles I's coronation in 1633. The bell still works but is not used anymore.

In the late 1900s, fewer people were attending St Paul's and St George's. In 1985, a new leader, Rev Roger Simpson, came to the church. Many people from another church joined, and the church started to grow a lot. This was because the church became more "Evangelical" in its style.

Church Design: Architecture

Archibald Elliot's St Paul's Chapel (before it was made bigger in 1892)

St Paul's and St George's Church is a special building in Edinburgh's New Town. Most buildings in this area are in the Georgian style, which looks like ancient Greek or Roman buildings. But this church stands out because it is built in the Gothic Revival style. This style looks like medieval castles and cathedrals.

The architect, Archibald Elliot, started building St Paul's in 1816. He designed it to look like King's College Chapel, Cambridge. It has tall, pointed towers called pinnacles and strong supports called buttresses. There are also four round towers on the corners. The outside of the church is made of sandstone and has many Gothic decorations. The top of the walls has a jagged, castle-like edge.

Inside, the church has a long main area called a nave. On each side of the nave are tall, arched walkways called aisles. The walls have stone arches and columns. On the north wall, there is a stone shrine with a pointed arch, designed by David Bryce. You can also see marble statues by famous Scottish artists, Sir John Steell and David Watson Stevenson.

In 1891–92, the east end of the church was made longer by Peddie and Kinnear. The original front part of the church became the choir area. The architects also added a new entrance porch on the south-east side. They put in new furniture and removed the balconies that were in the aisles.

As more people joined the church, it needed to hold more worshippers. In the early 2000s, Lee Boyd architects worked to update the church. They built new glass-fronted balconies in the aisles. This brought back the balconies that had been removed in the 1890s. These new balconies doubled the number of people the church could hold. A new glass entrance was also built outside the west door. The old church hall was taken down and replaced. This big project, costing £5.6 million, finished in 2008. It even won an award for "Building of the Year" in 2009!

Cool Parts of the Church

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  Elliot's octagonal turrets on St Paul's and St George's

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  The east window of Peddie and Kinnear's 1892 extension

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  Octagonal turrets on St Mary's Beverley

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  The nave-and-aisle chapel at King's College, Cambridge

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  St George's Chapel, York Place, now a casino

Images for kids

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  St Paul's and St George's Church