St Giles’ Cathedral
CHRONICLE
DECEMBER 2013
40 YEARS
of TRANSFORMATION
© Peter Backhouse
Photograph reproduced with acknowledgement to Norward Inglis and his daughter, Barbara Simpson
This special edition celebrates St Giles’ Cathedral as it now is, after striking
change to its fabric undertaken during the 40 years of the ministry of
Gilleasbuig Macmillan and inspired by his vision and leadership.
© Gary Doak Photography
NO 7
The Chancel looking east in 1973, showing the carved oak Holy The Sanctuary and Chancel, looking east in 2013. The Carrara
Table (now in the Preston Aisle) at the far end under the east marble Holy Table, the generous gift of Roger A Lindsay of
window, and the choir stalls in the foreground.
Craighall, was dedicated in 2011. The new chandeliers light the
interior and the seating now faces the Sanctuary.
© Peter Backhouse
© John V Gardner
© John V Gardner
© Peter Backhouse
© The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
© Peter Backhouse
Ian Fraser re-gilding the St Giles’
weathercock, 1980
Excavation took place below the east end of the cathedral in 1982 to provide café and
toilet facilities and an area for the choir to robe before services. Small stained glass
windows on the theme of the Creation have been set into the thick walls (see page 9).
On the archway at the foot of the stairs leading to the new rooms, a quotation from
John Knox’s favourite biblical chapter, John 17:21 is carved – ‘That they all may be
one’ – reflecting the unity of the church and of all life.
Finials and weather vanes, shown above one of the Four
Winds cherubs, were also re-gilded.
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© John V Gardner
© Veronika Kallus
The weathercock was taken down and re-gilded before being
securely replaced.
© Graham Tristram
Much-needed maintenance work on the crown steeple was
undertaken in 1979/80 with the construction of a stainless
steel support system based on the shape of a threepenny-bit
(a coin which went out of use in 1971), reinforcing the
ancient stone arches and replacing an unattractive “iron
corset” which had been in place since 1830.
© Graham Tristram
© James Glossop/The Times
On the south east side of the cathedral behind the Preston Aisle, an area which
formerly housed the organ blower and plant room has been transformed into a room
for assistant ministers, now known as the South Room.
© Peter Backhouse
A memorial to Wellesley Baillie, founder of the Leprosy Mission, incorporating its
logo, was created on the staircase wall in 1987. St Giles was the patron saint of lepers.
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© Peter Backhouse
© Peter Backhouse
© John V Gardner
Photograph reproduced with acknowledgement to Norward Inglis and his daughter, Barbara Simpson
The Moray Aisle, in the south west corner, was opened up by the
removal in 1985 of the railings on the left, which were designed
and made by Francis Skidmore, one of the best metalworkers in
England at the end of the 19th Century. They were re-located
in the north east corner, where they now define the Holy Cross
Aisle. The Lorimer screen, previously at the front of the Moray
Aisle, is now with the National Museums of Scotland.
© Peter Backhouse
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© Peter Backhouse
© Peter Backhouse
Liturgical colours have a long history in the church and recognise the changes
in the Christian year. The St Giles’ banners which hang on the pillars round
the Sanctuary were designed by artist and jeweller, Sheana Stephen. They are
the work of members of St Giles’ and the Thistle Quilters, a group of skilled
embroiderers who give their time and talent generously to charity. The first set,
depicting angels blowing trumpets on a bright red background and hung
during the Christmas season, were commissioned in 1991. Green banners
marking Trinity were gifted in 1998. Since then gold ones have been created
and were first put up on Easter Day 2009. Purple banners have been hung
during Lent and Advent. The latest set were hung for the first time on
1 December 2013, to mark the Knights of the Thistle St Andrew’s Day service.
They form the cross of St Andrew. The reverse side of these banners is of plain
blue silk, also suitable for use during Advent. Net overlays with the word
‘Rejoice’ are hung in front of the blue banners for the Advent season.
© Peter Backhouse
© John V Gardner
© Peter Backhouse
In 2005 the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh celebrated
their 500th anniversary. This marble commemorative tablet
recalls that their first qualifying examinations were held in one
of the aisles in St Giles'. It features the large, gilded sun from the
College's coat of arms and was unveiled on 3 July 2005.
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The Beginning
After the Reformation
St Giles’ was founded in about 1124, as a small parish
church, presumably in the Romanesque style of
architecture. Entering through its arched doorway carved
with animals and grotesque faces, the parishioners would
have found themselves in a simple interior, consisting of
a chancel and nave, in winter time lit by candles and
torches. The carved doorway existed until the end of the
eighteenth century, but only three or four stones from
that early church now survive.
On the eve of the Reformation of 1560, everything
changed. The altars, the elaborately carved choir stalls
and the rood screen were removed. The words of the
Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments were painted
on the newly whitewashed walls. The pillars were painted
green, and plain, diamond-paned glass replaced the
stained glass in the windows. The main focus of services
was now the sermon, which could last for an hour and
more, and the first minister, John Knox, preached from
a pulpit at the east end, to a congregation seated on
benches in the chancel. Communion services were held
three times a year, the participants sitting at six trestle
tables erected for the occasion in the nave.
The Middle Ages
In the fourteenth century, the little church was replaced
by the much grander, Gothic building which is, in
essence, what we see today. Its main entrance was on the
south side. Cruciform in plan, it was further enlarged by
a series of side chapels built on by wealthy donors during
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. As was customary,
the chancel was reserved for the clergy, choristers and
important members of the laity. The great pillars were
painted red and blue and there were stained glass
windows, a few fragments of which can now be seen set
into windows in the Lower Aisle. Elaborate carvings from
this period still decorate the vaulted ceilings. They
include a large number of Green Men, and there would
have been painted and gilded statues against the walls.
A very large statue of St Giles himself, wearing a crimson
velvet cloak trimmed with gold, was carried through the
streets on his feast day.
The high altar, dedicated to the saint, stood at some
distance from the east wall. It was covered with a length
of tapestry on which were placed a silver cross, four silver
candlesticks, a chalice and a paten, along with a very
elaborate silver-gilt tabernacle, set with precious and
semi-precious stones, for the reserved sacrament. The
reliquary containing an arm bone of St Giles may have
been displayed there too. Mass was celebrated every day,
the priest facing the high altar, with his back towards the
carved rood screen which separated the chancel from the
nave. By the mid-sixteenth century, there were about fifty
side altars in the nave, founded by individuals and craft
guilds anxious to establish masses for their souls, and the
surrounding floors were almost entirely paved with their
gravestones. The side altars were vividly coloured. The
altar of the Incorporation of Hammermen, for instance,
had a red and green cloth, with silver crests, and above
it hung a red and yellow canopy trimmed with lace and
red ribbons.
The Burn Restoration
Even then, the four churches soon became
overcrowded and the stonework was in a
dangerous condition. William Burn the
architect was employed in 1829 to rescue the
masonry and also made various important
alterations. The north door became the main
entrance. A vestibule led to the refurbished
High Kirk to the left, the Tolbooth Kirk was to
the right, its newly raised lath and plaster ceiling
painted pale blue, and a special aisle was created
for the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland, although it was rarely used.
The Chambers Restoration
The tradesmen employed on the Chambers Restoration of
St Giles’, photographed at the west door, 24 May 1883
Forty-one years on, despite these improvements,
the session clerk was complaining that the High Kirk was
so cold and draughty in winter that it was more like
sitting in a vault than in a place of worship. The
following year, a major restoration scheme was initiated
and largely funded by William Chambers the publisher,
Lord Provost of Edinburgh. He was determined to
restore the interior of St Giles’ to its original sacred space
and to transform it into ‘Scotland’s Westminster Abbey’.
Employing William Hay as his architect, he ordered the
demolition of all the lofts and the partition walls. Work
began in 1871. The floors were laid with Minton tiles
and the side chapels were enclosed with iron screens by
Francis Skidmore, the famous English metalworker.
A communion table was placed at the east end, with
marble steps leading up to it, and heavy oak choir stalls
and pews were put in the chancel. The new carved Caen
Four Churches in One
In 1633, Charles I made St Giles’ into a cathedral, by
royal decree, but his attempt to reorganise the interior
was short-lived, for his unpopular ecclesiastical policies
led to civil war. With the return of peace, the population
of Edinburgh grew and there was no longer room for all
the parishioners in the chancel. By 1699 the interior had
been divided by solid stone walls into four entirely selfcontained churches, each with tiers of lofts (balconies).
The former chancel was now called the High Kirk, the
crossing and part of the nave formed the Old Kirk, the
Tolbooth Kirk occupied most of west end, with Haddo’s
Hole Kirk in the north-west corner. Each of these
churches had its own minister and congregation.
A Sleepy Congregation, showing Dr Alexander Webster (1707–
1784) preaching in the Tolbooth Kirk, St Giles’, by John Kay
stone pulpit is still in use today. Chambers persuaded
his friends to donate stained glass windows, in keeping
with the Gothic architecture of the building, and an
organ was installed, for the first time since the
Reformation. Gas chandeliers supplied the light in
winter and the west door became the new and imposing
entrance. The great restoration scheme was triumphantly
finished in 1883. Sadly Chambers, by now a frail
octogenarian, died on 20 May, just three days before the
solemn re-opening service.
The Twentieth Century
The work of William Chambers continued with the
insertion of further stained glass windows and memorials
to notable Scots and then in 1911 the Thistle Chapel was
completed, an entirely new, neo-Gothic structure,
designed by Robert Lorimer and built on the south-east
side of St Giles’ for the Knights of the Thistle. However,
despite the installation of electric light in 1911, the
interior of the Cathedral itself was becoming depressingly
dark and gloomy. Heavy traffic on the busy High Street
outside meant that fumes and pollution covered the
windows with a layer of dirt, keeping out a good deal of
daylight. The heavy stalls in the chancel, once so much
admired, now seemed dated and unfashionable, and
people in the nave had begun to think that the
Communion service, with its impressive procession of
elders carrying the bread and wine up to the distant
communion table, was not in keeping with modern
liturgical thinking. By the early 1970s, there was a general
feeling that the time had come for further change.
Rosalind K Marshall
© Edinburgh City Libraries. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
The High Kirk of St Giles' in 1882, after the Chambers
Restoration, looking towards the great east window
© National Museums of Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
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Original © St Giles’. Photograph © Peter Backhouse
St Giles’ throughout the Ages
Further historical information is contained in ‘St Giles’:
The dramatic Story of a Great Church and its People’, by
Rosalind K Marshall and published by Saint Andrew Press.
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© Stained Glass Design Partnership
© John V Gardner
© Peter Backhouse
Above: One of three modern stained
glass windows in the lower aisle cafe
representing the Creation, imaginatively contrasting their tiny size
with the thickness of the walls
within which they are set.
Right: From 2001, the Stained
Glass Design Partnership conserved
all the windows in the Cathedral.
Two details from the St Paul
window in the Preston Aisle show
the dramatic improvement made as
a result.
The choir in 1992 in the red gowns which
had been in use since 1962, on the day
before the gowns were replaced.
The choir stalls recently repainted to resemble
light oak with a thin line of gilding and dark
red interiors matching the organ casing.
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The choir’s present gowns. Dark red
collars are replaced by oatmeal ones for
services of Holy Communion.
© Peter Backhouse
© Peter Backhouse
© John V Gardner
© Stained Glass Design Partnership
The statue of John Knox (lower left)
was originally installed in the
Albany Aisle in 1906, since when
it has been moved to other locations
inside and outside the cathedral
and now stands near its original
position.
The new organ, a magnificent gift from Alastair Salvesen, is contemporary and dramatic in
appearance. It was built by the famous firm of Rieger Orgelbau of Schwarzach in Austria,
with 4,156 pipes and a chromatic ring of thirty-seven hand-bells. The casework of Austrian
oak, stained a deep red, was designed by the Scottish architect, Douglas Laird. Wartime brickwork blocking up the south window was removed to allow light to flow round the sides and
into the church. It was dedicated on 24 May 1992, and it has proved to be one of the great
organs of Western Europe.
© Margaret Lowe
© Peter Backhouse
In 1973 the worn out Willis organ, dedicated in 1940, urgently needed to be replaced. It had
two consoles, both detached from the organ and using electric action, the main one in the
north transept gallery above the north entrance porch, and the smaller one in the Holy Blood
Aisle. The case, designed by the architect Esmé Gordon, was in the Arts and Crafts style and
sat flush with the south transept walls. By the mid-1960s, so many problems had arisen with
it that Herrick Bunney, then Master of the Music, was already seeking solutions from the
experts of the time. It would take another quarter century for these ideas to come to fruition.
© Stained Glass Design Partnership
The photograph (lower right) shows
the figure of St Giles' from the
North Aisle, laid out on the conservator's bench without the lead
which holds the small panes
together.
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Along with the medieval corbels (above left), the bosses in the ceilings of the side aisles
have been been gilded and, with the new lighting, can be easily seen. A new one
(above right) depicting the coat of arms of Roger Lindsay, donor of the new marble
Holy Table, is above the north nave aisle.
© John V Gardner
© Peter Backhouse
© Peter Backhouse
Corbel & boss © Peter Backhouse
© Peter Backhouse
© Barbara Simpson
The blue painting of the lath and plaster ceiling at the west end of the
church took some people by surprise but it had in fact been painted light
blue during William Burn’s alterations which took place in the 1820s.
In 1980 a Processional Cross designed by Ruth Goliwas of
New Orleans was introduced, to be carried in front of the
choir and ministers at the start of 10am Sunday services of
Holy Communion then placed beside the Holy Table.
There was a bookshop in the Moray Aisle which was moved to the north east corner
into St Margaret’s Room. This was an addition to the cathedral in 1890 and had
been built as a place for ladies to leave their cloaks and have somewhere to rest should
they feel indisposed. It now serves as a gift shop and can be reached easily via a small
door off the High Street as well as from inside the cathedral.
Two silver candlesticks designed by silversmith Malcolm Applelby
were the gift of the late John McLintock, first and long-term
crucifer at St Giles’, who died in May 2013. They were received
by the Minister during the 10am service on 22 September 2013.
Access for wheelchair users and others has become not only desirable but essential, and
in 2006 internal and external ramps were built at the west door.
St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh EH1 1RE
0131 225 4363 www.stgilescathedral.org.uk
For further information, or to offer help in St Giles’,
please contact one of the Chronicle editors:
The editors are extremely grateful to those who have
offered information, help, advice, contributions and
support, including the following:
Peter Backhouse, Susan Bradbury, Tom Foggo,
Michael Harris, Veronika Kallus, John Knight,
Margaret Lowe, Rosalind K Marshall, Ian Moffat,
Jo Penney, Barbara Simpson, Sheana Stephen,
Graham Tristram, Liz Wright.
© John V Gardner
© Peter Backhouse
John V Gardner
0131 443 7126
[email protected]
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Margaret Macintosh
0131 225 4404
[email protected]
Design and typesetting by Hugh Hillyard-Parker
[email protected]
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© Peter Backhouse
© Crown copyright RCAHMS
An earlier view looking west. The Great West window, designed by Cottier (1886) was replaced in 1985, because of deterioration, by
the window commemorating the poet Robert Burns, designed by Icelandic artist Leifur Breidfjörd. The oak Victoria Pew which had been
converted to form an entrance screen, was replaced in 2008 by the new steel and stained glass structure, also designed by Breidfjörd.
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