Monthly archives: November 2020

 Possibly founded in the 12th century and dedicated to St Giles, the present building was erected in the 14th and continued to be extended until the early 16th century. The church was given collegiate status by Pope Paul II. Major alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle […]

By the late 19th century, the church authorities no longer objected to stained glass windows being installed. William Chambers commissioned James Ballantine to produce nine new windows for the chancel in St Giles, illustrating the life of Christ. The well-known artist Robert Herdman advised on the design, and the windows were paid for by a […]

The One o’ Clock Gun Exhibition has been running on the Mills Mount Battery at Edinburgh Castle for over twenty years. The model working time ball has never failed to function during that time. The mechanism was built by clockmaker Nick Sanders.

“If you seek a monument, gaze around” – Sir Christopher Wren  Greyfriars Bobby’s statue at the junction of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row was created by William Brodie and donated by Baroness Burdett-Coutts. The drinking fountain may have been designed by George Cousin the city architect.  Great sculptors have lived and worked in Edinburgh for centuries, […]

James Ballantine was born in Edinburgh in 1808. Although stained glass had not been manufactured in Scotland since the Reformation, James Ballantine decided to set up a studio in Carruber’s Close in 1837. Along with his partner George Allan he set up a company at 42 George Street specialising in supplying stained glass and house […]

Greyfriars Kirk is closed to visitors today as the church is being used for recording. The Radical Welcome  course begins at 8pm this evening run by Anne Ross, our visiting minister from the Lutheran Church of Bavaria and our probationer minister, Urzula Glienecke. At our three venues, Greyfriars Kirk, the Grassmarket Community Project and the Greyfriars Charteris Centre, […]

The illustration shows the Queen’s Port on the west side of Edinburgh Castle. It was possible to climb up the rock to the Queen’s Port from West Princes Street Gardens.

The Earl of Morton is buried at the foot of Greyfriars kirkyard

The weekly Sunday morning service has resumed at Greyfriars Kirk. The historic church which is 400 hundred years old this year will not be open to visitors this Thursday as the church will being used for recording. To receive a weekly newsletter contact: minister@greyfriarskirk.com

The illustration from James Grant’s ‘Old and New Edinburgh’ shows the West Meadows during the 19th century. The Meadows provided a playground for the children living in the industrial area of Fountainbridge including Sir Sean Connery and his brother Neil. The One o’ clock Gun originally fired from the Half Moon Battery which can be […]