The Church of St John the Evangelist is a Scottish Episcopal church in the centre of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland. It is sited at the west end of

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (thre ...

at its junction with Lothian Road, and is protected as a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

Background

The church was dedicated as St John's Chapel on

Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the ...

1818 with construction having begun in 1816. It was designed by the architect

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred to ...

the previous year, at the age of only 25. Souvenir of Scotland04

The congregation had begun in 1792 when Daniel Sandford came to Edinburgh to minister on Church of England lines. In 1797 the Qualified congregation moved to Charlotte Chapel which was re-built on larger lines in 1811. They sold shares to fund a new church, the banker

Sir William Forbes Sir William Forbes of Callendar (1743–1815) was a prosperous coppersmith and landowner who lived in Callendar House in Falkirk, Scotland. Biography Forbes was a self-made man. The son of an Aberdeen merchant, he began work as a coppersmith an ...

being the main figure, and Charlotte Chapel was then sold to the Baptists. Edward Bannerman Ramsay joined St John's as curate in 1827. He succeeded Bishop Sandford as minister in 1830, and stayed until his own death in 1872, having been Dean from 1846. The sanctuary and chancel were built in 1879–82 by Peddie & Kinnear (

John Dick Peddie John Dick Peddie (24 February 1824 – 12 March 1891) was a Scottish architect, businessman and a Liberal Party politician. Biography John Dick Peddie and his twin brother William were the second and third sons of James Peddie WS and Margaret D ...

and

Charles Kinnear Charles George Hood Kinnear FRIBA ARSA FRSE (30 May 1830 – 5 November 1894) was one half of Peddie & Kinnear partnership, one of Scotland’s most renowned and prodigious architectural firms, famed for their development of the Scots Baronial ...

). The vestry and Hall were added in 1915–16 by

John More Dick Peddie John More Dick Peddie (21 August 1853 – 10 March 1921) was a British architect. Biography Peddie was the son of the architect and politician John Dick Peddie (1824–1891) and his wife Euphemia Lockhart More. Born in Edinburgh, he atten ...

and Forbes Smith. The war memorial was added in 1919 to a design by Sir

Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Goth ...

. Lorimer also designed and oversaw the addition of faux-vaults when Lothian Road was widened in 1926. St John's holds daily services and is unique in that it is the last remaining Episcopal church in Scotland to hold the weekly service of

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

Description

Supporting arch, St Johns, Princes Street, Edinburgh

The lower terraces of the graveyard, St Johns, Edinburgh

The 2018 extension to St Johns Episcopal Church, Edinburgh

The plaster ceiling vault is derived from that found in the

Henry VII Chapel The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, paid for by the will of King Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by brass gates ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. Stained glass is largely by Ballantine, but the east window is by William Raphael Eginton. The morning chapel was furnished by Walker Todd in 1935. An extension was added to the south-east corner in 2018.

List of rectors

* 1804–1830: Daniel Sandford * 1830–1872: Edward Bannerman Ramsay * 1873–1883:

Daniel Fox Sandford Daniel Fox Sandford, (25 July 1831 – 20 August 1906) was the Anglican Bishop of Tasmania from 1883 until 1889. Life He was born in Glasgow on 25 July 1831 the son of Professor (later Sir) Daniel Kyte Sandford, professor of Greek at Glasgo ...

* 1883–1909:

George James Cowley-Brown George James Cowley-Brown, M.A. (1832–1924) was an Anglican clergyman and author who served in both the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. Life The eldest son of George Francis Brown, he was educated at Christ Church, Oxfor ...

* 1909–1919:

George Frederick Terry George Frederick Terry (1864–1919) was a clergyman who served as Rector of St John's Church in Edinburgh, the principal church of the Scottish Episcopalian Church. Life He was born in England in 1864. He originally trained as an archi ...

* 1919–1926: James Geoffrey Gordon * 1927–1939: Charles Henry Ritchie * 1940–1947: Sidney Harvie-Clark * 1947–1961:

David Brownfield Porter David Brownfield Porter (10 May 190614 May 1993) was the suffragan Bishop of Aston from 1962 to 1972. He was born in Wandsworth, London and educated at Hertford College, Oxford. He studied for ordination at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford before a curacy ...

* 1962–1969: Keith Appleby Arnold * 1969–1981:

Aeneas Mackintosh Aeneas Lionel Acton Mackintosh (1 July 1879 – 8 May 1916) was a British Merchant Navy officer and Antarctic explorer, who commanded the Ross Sea party as part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–191 ...

* 1982–1997:

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasem ...

* 1998–2012: John Andrew Armes * 2013–date: Markus Dünzkofer (instituted 11/02/2013)

Memorials

* General

Sir John Campbell, 2nd Baronet Major General Sir John Campbell, 2nd Baronet, of New Brunswick, Canada, (14 April 1807 – 18 June 1855), was a British army officer and the son of General Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet of New Brunswick, Canada. He died in the Battle of t ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

, Canada * Sir

Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a fo ...

* Dean Edward Bannerman Ramsay (a tall granite Celtic cross by

Robert Rowand Anderson Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, (5 April 1834 – 1 June 1921) was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his m ...

of 1878 with Celtic bronze reliefs by Skidmore, facing Princes Street just east of the church) * John Stuart Stuart-Forbes (1849–1876) (also known as J. S. Hiley; died at the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, No ...

in North America. His plaque can be found on the left hand side of the church as you enter) The plaque reads "In Memory of John Stuart Stuart Forbes 7th Regt. United States Cavalry. Born at Rugby 28th May 1849. Killed in Action 25th June 1876."

Graveyard

* The Rev Archibald Alison (1757-1839) and his son William Pulteney Alison (1790-1859) *

Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh FRSE (24 December 1766 – 18 September 1829) was a Scottish landowner and politician. He served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh. Life William was the ...

(1766-1829) * Lesley Baillie (1768–1843) subject of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

' poem "Bonnie Lesley" *

Thomas Balfour Thomas Balfour of Elwick FRSE (2 April 1810 – 30 March 1838) was a Scottish politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons from 1835 to 1837. His brother was David Balfour (lawyer), David Balfour (1811-1887 ...

(1810–1838), MP for Orkney and Shetland *

George Joseph Bell George Joseph Bell (26 March 177023 September 1843) was a Scottish advocate and legal scholar. From 1822 to 1843 he was Professor of Scots Law at the University of Edinburgh. He was succeeded by John Shank More. Early life George Bell was bor ...

(1770–1843), legal author *

George Burnett, Lord Lyon George Burnett, LLD, WS (1822–1890) was a long-serving Scottish officer of arms. Life He was born on 9 March 1822 the second son of John Burnett, 5th Laird of Kemnay in Aberdeenshire. He trained as a lawyer (normal for the Lord Lyon) and in 1 ...

(1822-1890) * General Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet (1769–1843) * William Campbell, Lord Skerrington (1855–1927),

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...

1908-9 * Major General

Nicholas Carnegie Major General Nicholas Carnegie of Coates HEIC (1750–1824) was an 18/19th century British Army Officer Life He was stepbrother of George Carnegie whose mother Susan Carnegie was cousin to David Scott, Chairman of the East India Company. Th ...

of Coates (d.1824) * Sir James Clerk of

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. Nam ...

(1812–1870) * James Donaldson (1751–1830), founder of Donaldson's School for the Deaf * Andrew Duncan (1773–1832) * Daniel Ellis (botanist) (1772–1841) * William Erskine (1773-1852) historian * Sir Hugh Bates Maxwell and Sir William Maxwell, 9th and 10th Baronets of Calderwood (within the eastern enclosure) * Sir William Forbes's son George Forbes (died 1857) *

Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet FRSE (8 March 1788 – 6 May 1856) was a Scottish metaphysician. He is often referred to as William Stirling Hamilton of Preston, in reference to his mother, Elizabeth Stirling. Early life He was born in ro ...

(1788–1856), metaphysician (stone moved and used as edge paving in the eastern enclosure) * Thomas Kinnear (1796-1830) banker *

Thomas Laycock (physiologist) Thomas Laycock FRSE FRCPE (10 August 1812 – 21 September 1876) was an English physician and neurophysiologist who was a native of Bedale near York. Among medical historians, he is best known for his influence on John Hughlings Jackson a ...

(1812–1874) *

James Skene James Skene of Rubislaw (1775–1864) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur artist, best known as a friend of Sir Walter Scott. Life The second son of George Skene (1736–1776) of Rubislaw, Aberdeen and his wife Jane (Jean) Moir of Stoneywood, ...

(d.1864) and his son

William Forbes Skene William Forbes Skene WS FRSE FSA(Scot) DCL LLD (7 June 1809 – 29 August 1892), was a Scottish lawyer, historian and antiquary. He co-founded the Scottish legal firm Skene Edwards which was prominent throughout the 20th century but disappear ...

(1805-1892) buried under the chapel * Aeneas MacBean (1778-1857) prominent lawyer *

Aeneas James George Mackay Aeneas James George Mackay (3 November 1839 – 10 June 1911) was a Scottish lawyer and academic, known as a legal and historical writer. Life Born at 7 Albyn Place on the Moray Estate in Edinburgh on 3 November 1839 and was son of Mary, da ...

(1839-1911) * Charles Kincaid Mackenzie, Lord Mackenzie (d.1938) * General Anthony MacRae (1812–1868), with bronze by Sir John Steell * George Moir (1800–1870), lawyer and essayist * John Shank More (1784–1861) *

Macvey Napier Macvey Napier (born Napier Macvey) (11 April 1776 – 11 February 1847) was a Scottish solicitor, legal scholar, and an editor of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. He was Professor of Conveyancing at the University of Edinburgh. Life Macv ...

(1776–1847) * Margaret Outram (1778–1863), widow of

Benjamin Outram Benjamin Outram (1 April 1764 – 22 May 1805) was an English civil engineer, surveyor and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways. Life Born at Alfreton in Derbyshire, he began his career assisting his father ...

* Bouverie Francis Primrose (1813-1898) * Anne (1793-1825), sister of

Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He i ...

* Dean Edward Bannerman Ramsay (buried distant from the memorial on

(see above) with a separate monument) and his brother

Admiral Sir William Ramsay Rear-Admiral Sir William Ramsay KCB (born Burnett; 27 May 1796 – 3 December 1871) was a Scottish admiral in the Royal Navy. Early life and family Ramsay was born at Balmain House in Aberdeenshire, the sixth son of Alexander Burnett (l ...

(1796-1871) * Bishop Harry Reid (died 1943) * Sir James Milles Riddell, 2nd Baronet (1787-1861) * Anne Rutherford (mother of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

) *

(1831–1906), Bishop of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, son of

Daniel Sandford (bishop of Edinburgh) Daniel Sandford, M.A., D.D. (1766 – 14 January 1830) was an Irish-born Anglican clergyman who served in the Scottish Episcopal Church as the Bishop of Edinburgh from 1806 until 1830. Life Sandford was born in 1766 at Delville, near Dublin, ...

, founder of the church. * Catherine Sinclair (1800–1864), author * Sir John James Stuart of Allanbank (1779-1849) * James Syme (1799–1870), surgeon *

Peter Guthrie Tait Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE (28 April 1831 – 4 July 1901) was a Scottish mathematical physicist and early pioneer in thermodynamics. He is best known for the mathematical physics textbook ''Treatise on Natural Philosophy'', which he co-wrote wi ...

(1831-1901) and his sons John Guthrie Tait (1861-1945) and William Archer Porter Tait (1866-1929) plus a memorial to

Frederick Guthrie Tait Frederick Guthrie Tait (11 January 1870 – 7 February 1900) was an amateur golfer and Scottish soldier. He won the Amateur Championship twice, in 1896 and again in 1898, by convincing margins. Over his short golf career, Tait recorded at l ...

(buried in South Africa) *

William John Thomson William John Thomson (1771–1845) was an American-born painter of silhouettes, portraits and miniatures who was active in Great Britain. Early life Thomson was born in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, on 3 October 1771 to Scottish parents, ...

RSA (1771–1845), American-born artist, member of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

* James Walker (1781–1862), civil engineer * Bishop James Walker (1770–1841) * Sir William Stuart Walker (1813-1896) * George Young, Lord Young (1819–1907) *

Malvina Wells Malvina Wells (1804 – 22 April 1887) was the only known person buried in Edinburgh who was born a slave. Birth and early life Malvina Wells was born in 1804 in Carriacou, Grenada, in the West Indies. Her father was John Wells, planter, and ...

(1804-1887) only known person buried in

who was born enslaved.

Edinburgh City Centre Churches Together

St John's is one of three churches which form Together, an ecumenical grouping in the New Town of Edinburgh. The others are St Andrew's & St George's West and St Cuthbert's.

Just Festival

The church is also home to the Just Festival (formerly known as the Festival of Spirituality and Peace), which takes place each August alongside the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

Tabot

An Ethiopian

tabot ''Tabot'' ( Ge'ez ታቦት ''tābōt'', sometimes spelled ''tabout'') is a Ge'ez word referring to a replica of the Tablets of Law, onto which the Biblical Ten Commandments were inscribed, used in the practices of Orthodox Tewahedo Christians i ...

, a replica of Moses'

Tablets of Law According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tablets of the Law (also Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony; Biblical Hebrew: לוּחֹת הַבְּרִית ''lûḥōt habbǝrît'' "tablets of the covenant", לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן ' ...

, was discovered in storage at St John's Church, and was returned in February 2002 to

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, ...

Same-sex marriage

in 2017, the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

changed its marriage canon to allow for clergy with the consent of their congregations to opt into the Scottish same-sex marriage legislation. The first marriage of a couple of the same gender inside an Anglican church in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...

was solemnised at St John's in September that year with the rector presiding."First same-sex Anglican church wedding takes place in Edinburgh"

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

, 29 September 2017.

References

External links

Official website

Choir website

St John's on ScotlandPlaces

"The Episcopal Congregation of Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh, 1794–1818"
University of Stirling PhD thesis by Eleanor M. Harris {{Edinburgh Festival Fringe Episcopal church buildings in Edinburgh Churches completed in 1818 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh Listed churches in Edinburgh 19th century in Scotland 1818 establishments in Scotland 19th-century churches in the United Kingdom