Methodist Central Hall, 2-20 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Entry Name: Methodist Central Hall, 2-20 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh

Listing Name: 2-20 (Even Nos) Earl Grey Street, and 2 West Tollcross, Methodist Central Hall

Listing Date: 7 December 1995

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 371174

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB30326

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Edinburgh, 2-20 Earl Grey Street, Methodist Central Hall

ID on this website: 200371174

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Architectural structure

Description

Dunn and Findlay, 1899-1901. Gallery partitioned by Maclennan and Cunningham, 1936. 3-storey and attic Beaux Arts/Francois I asymmetrical mission halls and offices, with shops (originally 10 shops with cellarage) at ground floor to Earl Grey Street. 9 bays to Earl Grey Street, 5 to West Tollcross, with domed circular corner tower. Pinkish sandstone ashlar. Cornice with foliate decoration above shops; corniced band between ground and 1st floors and to 2nd floor and attic cills; modillioned cornice and balustraded parapet to main hall block. Windows in moulded surrounds with stone mullions and some transoms.

NE (EARL GREY STREET) ELEVATION: 10-bay including angle bay to outer left. Lower 3-storey bay to outer right: 2 single windows to 1st floor; bipartite to 2nd with pedimented gablehead breaking eaves above, flanked by corniced pilasters with ball-finials and scrolls; decorative carved panel under pediment dated 1901. Central 6-bay block (main hall): tripartite stone-mullioned windows to 1st floor flanked by pilaster strips, with enriched cornice above; large stone-mullioned and -transomed windows to 2nd floor, flanked by Corinthian pilasters on panelled pediments; 'Central Hall' in gilt letters to entablature. 2 lower bays to left: stone-mullioned windows to 1st floor (larger to left); bipartite to left and larger stone-mullioned and -transomed windows to right at 2nd floor; bipartite stone-mullioned windows with curvilinear pediments breaking eaves at attic. Copper-clad dome to circular corner tower; timber panelled 2-leaf storm door, glazed inner door and wrought-iron gate in stop-chamfered surround on splayed corner; fluted and foliate decoration to corbelling above; 1st floor corbelled out to polygonal section, 2nd floor to circular section; 2-storey Doric pilasters rising to corniced entablature. Copper-covered dome (see Notes).

SE (WEST TOLLCROSS) ELEVATION: principal entrance in centre bay; key-blocked semicircular-arched entrance to stairs with cast-iron gates, flanked by chunky Ionic columns on pedestals with entablature and swept, open-topped pediment; corniced stone-mullioned and -transomed windows to 3 central bays at 1st floor; stone-mullioned bipartites to 2nd and 3rd floors of 3 central bays, those at 3rd floor breaking eaves with triangular pediment and wallhead chimney to centre, curvilinear pediments to 2 outer bays, flanked by finialed pilasters. Glazed shop front to ground at outer right; transomed window at 1st, single window at 2nd. Single window to ground at outer left, floors above blind.

SW (DUNBAR STREET) ELEVATION: Bull-faced sandstone with ashlar dressings. Asymmetrical, 3-bay, gabled to right, with gablehead stack; stone mullions to bipartite windows, transoms to 1st floor right and 3rd floor (hall) left.

INTERIOR: 2 2-leaf timber panelled glazed doors (bevelled glass) at top of flight of steps beyond cast-iron gates. Stairs to crush hall with mosaic floor and panelled ceiling. Wagon-roofed main auditorium space with arcaded gallery; depressed-arched proscenium; gas light-fittings. Timber-panelled meeting rooms with stained glass to partitions and doors. Raised brass Art Nouveau door furniture.

Small-pane leaded glass, clear and with Glasgow-style Art Nouveau stained glass to hall and stair; remaining windows 6-pane upper sashes, plate glass lower in timber sash and case windows. Graded greenish-grey (Westmoreland) slates. Stone skews; corniced wallhead and gablehead chimneys with circular cans. Cast-iron down pipes with decorative hoppers.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building, in use as such. Opened for the dedicatory service in 1901 by the Revd George Jackson, the founder and first Superintendent. Organ (enlarged and rebuilt several times) HS Vincent, 1904. Gallery partitioned by Maclennan and Cunningham, 1936. Early photographs show a lantern surmounting the copper dome.

External Links

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