The Robin Chapel is an
ecumenical Christian place of worship in the
Craigmillar
Craigmillar ( gd, Creag a' Mhuilleir, IPA: ˆkʰʲɾʲekˈaˈvɯʎɪɾʲ, from the Gaelic ''Creag Maol Ard'', meaning 'High Bare Rock', is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about south east of the city centre, with Duddingston to the north and Ne ...
area of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It was built in memory of Lieutenant Robin Tudsbery, who was killed in the closing days of World War II. The chapel sits within the grounds of the Thistle Foundation, a housing complex originally built for disabled armed forces personnel.
History
The Thistle Foundation was established as a charity in 1944 by Sir Francis and Lady Isabella Tudsbery to provide housing and care for disabled war veterans and their families. Nowadays, the charity offers a variety of services to people with disabilities and health conditions, and has an additional base in Renfrew.
In 1950 the
foundation stone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over tim ...
for a chapel was laid in the grounds of the Thistle Foundation. The chapel was conceived and built by the Tudsberys as a memorial to their only son, Robin, who, as a 25-year-old lieutenant in the
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), was killed in the last days of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It was completed in 1953, and was dedicated in the presence of
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and
Princess Margaret. The chapel holds historical importance as a
war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
and as a pioneering home of ecumenical worship, devoted to "furthering the spirit of unity and concord among Christian people". This spirit is further repeated in the short statement which can be found at the opening of the service sheet:
'The Robin Chapel is dedicated to the glory of God, and to His service, by all Christians and by all denominations of Christ's Church.
Every Service held within the Robin Chapel shall be open accordingly to all Christians of any denomination.'
Design and construction
The chapel was designed by John F Matthew, of the architectural firm ''
Lorimer & Matthew'', in the Scottish
Arts and Crafts style. Many craftspeople were involved in the finish of the interior, including Sadie McLellan, who created the stained glass windows which feature scenes from ''
The Pilgrim's Progress
''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...
'' by
John Bunyan
John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...
. The inscription over the entrance to the chapel is also taken from ''The Pilgrim's Progress'': "Come In, Come In, Eternal Glory Thou Shalt Win". The oak panelling and choir stalls show carvings of animals and birds, a reminder of Robin Tudsbury's love of animals and the countryside surrounding the family home of Champfleurie in
West Lothian. Many of the carvings were worked by Thomas Good (who also did much of the carving in
St Magnus Cathedral
St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built ...
, Kirkwall).
Worship
The chapel holds weekly services of Choral
Evensong
Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which became ...
, as well as special services to commemorate key events in Robin Tudsbery's life, at 4pm. The chapel is open to all, and all have place here, where the love of God dwells. The Chapel Choir (a group of adult mixed voices) sings at the weekly services, led by the
director of music
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...
and accompanied on the
organ.
The ecumenical nature of the chapel is reflected in the invitation to clergy of many denominations being regularly invited to preach.
Her Majesty The Queen attended the sixtieth anniversary service of the dedication of the chapel in July 2013, accompanied by Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex.
The Sovereign's Standard of ''The Blues and Royals'' was laid up in The Robin Chapel on 4 October 2015, at a special service to mark the occasion.
[Order of Service booklet, on the occasion of ''The Laying Up of The Sovereign's Standard at The Robin Chapel'', 04/10/2015, The Robin Chapel]
See also
*
List of Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland. This list contains all buildings outside the New Town and Old Town areas; those can be found at List of Category A listed buildings in the New Town, Edinburgh and List of ...
*
List of post-war Category A listed buildings in Scotland
__NOTOC__
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland which date from after 1945 (the post-war period). The majority of these buildings are examples of Brutalist architecture or related modernist architecture which was ambitiously ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Robin ChapelThistle FoundationRobin Tudsbery's grave in Becklingen War Cemetery
Churches in Edinburgh
Christianity in Edinburgh
Monuments and memorials in Scotland
Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh
Listed churches in Edinburgh
Household Cavalry
Chapels in Scotland