St Stephen’s Church, St Vincent Place architecture photos, Architect, Scottish building history

St Stephen’s Church Edinburgh Architecture

Fettes Row Edinburgh Church Architecture, Scotland, UK: St Vincent Place Building in the New Town.

post updated 28 October 2023 ; 28 December 2021

Key Edinburgh New Town Church Building

Dates built: 1827-28

Architect: William Henry Playfair

Location: Fettes Row / St Vincent Place, New Town

St Stephen’s Church Edinburgh

Formerly St. Stephens Parish Church, the building became the St. Stephens Centre following a union with St. Bernards Church, Stockbridge in 1992.

Contact details:

Address: St Stephens Centre, St. Stephen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 5AB

Phone: 0131 556 2661

photos © Adrian Welch, 2006

The St Stephen’s Church architect : William Playfair

Address: St Stephen’s Centre, St Stephen Street, EH3 5AB, Scotland, United Kingdom

St Stephen’s Church in the New Town

This New Town church was attended by famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson as a child. The building contains the only unaltered Father Willis organ in the UK.

In 2014, Leslie Benzies, a video game producer and president of Rockstar North (at the time), announced a deal to purchase the church for over £500,000. He planned to preserve the building and create a trust composed of members of the community to manage it.

However, in 2017, the Benzies Foundation advised this proposal was not proceeding. In July 2017, Peter Schaufuss, ballet dancer legend and founder of the English National Ballet School purchased the church from the Benzies Foundation, stating “I plan to make the Great Hall a world-class theatre, one that will attract productions from leading companies from around the world”.

Ground and basement areas, meanwhile, would be intended to find mixed commercial, cultural and community usage. St Stephen’s has since his takeover gone through much refurbishment latest the main hall now named Ashton Hall with one of the largest performing spaces in Scotland.

This New Town building is the home of newly-founded Edinburgh Festival Ballet and its School and Scottish theatre school MGA Academy, as well many other cultural activities. It plays an important role in the community as well as its role as a venue at the annual Festival.

The 162 feet (49 m)-high tower has the longest clock pendulum in Europe.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Stephen%27s_Church,_Edinburgh

St Stephen’s Church context : Fettes Row Flats, St Vincent Place

photograph : Michael Wolchover
Fettes Row Flats

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