Polwarth Parish Church and Hall, Polwarth Terrace, Edinburgh

Heritage listing

Category B Date Added 14/12/1970 Local Authority Edinburgh Planning Authority Edinburgh Burgh Edinburgh NGR NT 23648 71889 Coordinates 323648, 671889 — Sydney Mitchell & Wilson, 1900 and chancel 1903; top stages of tower and hall, James Jerdan & Son, 1913. Decorated Gothic church, cruciform plan with aisled nave, clerestory, transepts and dominating SE tower; church hall to NW; red sandstone, squared and coursed rubble with ashlar dressings; moulded ashlar mullions; hood moulds and block label stops to principal openings throughout; cusped heads to rectangular windows. TOWER: massive 4 stages, diagonal buttresses; 1st stage: main entrance to SE, deeply chamfered segmental-arched door, 6 heavy blank rectangular panels for carving in arch, roll-moulded string course, design repeated in side door to NE; 3 arrowslit stair windows to SW; 2nd stage: cill course, 2-light pointed-arch mullioned and transomed window to SW, SE and NE, each comprised of 2 trefoiled lights with quatrefoil tracery above; 3rd stage: oculi with deeply chamfered reveals and cusped tracery to SW, SE and NE; 4th stage (1913): 3-light pointed-arch window to each side, trefoiled louvred lights, perpendicular tracery above; eaves course with fleurons; moulded crenellated parapet with crocketted corner and centre pinnacles, gargoyles at corners. NAVE: gable to SW, angle buttress with octagonal moulded pinnacle to SE; ashlar panelling at base with flat ogee-arched blind arcading inset with narrow rectangular windows every 2nd panel, divided by 2 short buttresses with moulded upper panels; large 5-light pointed-arch window in centre, flowing tracery, ogee hoodmould rising to Greek cross in gablehead, block label-stops, blind ashlar arcading in spandrels of arch framed by keel-moulded shafts and finials; ornate

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.