| The Queen's Hall | |
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 Interactive map of the The Queen's Hall area | |
| Former names | Newington & St Leonard's Parish Church (1932–1976) Newington Parish Church (1834–1932) Hope Park Chapel (1824–1834) |
| General information | |
| Status | Active |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland, 85-89 Clerk Street Edinburgh EH8 9JG |
| Coordinates | 55°56′28.51″N3°10′53.97″W / 55.9412528°N 3.1816583°W /55.9412528; -3.1816583 |
| Named for | Elizabeth II |
| Groundbreaking | 1823 |
| Completed | 1824 |
| Renovated | 1978–1979 |
| Height | 35 metres (115 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Robert Brown |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Larry Rolland |
| Renovating firm | Robert Hurd & Partners |
| Main contractor | Melville, Dundas & Whitson |
Historic site | |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Official name | South Clerk Street, The Queen's Hall |
| Designated | 14 December 1970 |
| Reference no. | LB27176 |
The Queen's Hall is a performance venue in theSouthside, Edinburgh, Scotland. The building opened in 1824 asHope Park Chapel and reopened as the Queen's Hall in 1979.
Hope Park Chapel opened as achapel of ease within theWest Kirk parish in 1824. The chapel became a parish church with the nameNewington Parish Church in 1834. The congregation supported the creation of a mission church inSt Leonard's in 1878. The two congregations united to formNewington and St Leonard's Parish Church in 1932. The church was dissolved in 1976 and the building was purchased by the Scottish Philharmonic Society. It was reopened as a performance venue in 1979 byElizabeth II, after whom the building was renamed. The hall has hosted artists includingNina Simone,Nick Cave, andAdele. In 2018, the hall estimated it welcomed 90,000 visitors across 200 concerts annually. It is the only major venue to host events for all of theEdinburgh International Festival, theEdinburgh Fringe, and theEdinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.
The building was designed in theneoclassical style by Robert Brown and was adapted for use as a performance venue by Larry Rolland of Robert Hurd & Partners. It now has a capacity of up to 900. Notable features include two large, 18th-century boards displaying theLord's Prayer,Creed, andTen Commandments. It has been aCategory A listed building since 14 December 1970.
The south-eastern portion of theWest Kirk Parish had been served since the 1750s by theBuccleuch Chapel. By 1822, however, population growth in theSouthside andNewington spurred West Kirk session to appoint a committee of investigation to assess the need for a new place of worship in the southern districts of the parish. The commission found the parish had a population of 20,250 but only 6,274 seats in established churches.[1][2]
The session launched an appeal to support a new chapel and, within eleven days, secured £630 in donations and almost £2,000 in loans. Despite initial difficulties in securing a site, a location on South Clerk Street with access tothe Meadows was purchased.[1]
The foundation stone was laid in 1823 and the church opened in 1824 as achapel of ease within St Cuthbert's Parish with seats for 1,700.[3][4] When the church's first minister,Robert Gordon, left to become minister of theNew North Church in 1825, one candidate to replace him wasEdward Irving. Irving rejected the congregation's call but gave a series of morning lectures in the church in 1829.[5]
In 1834, during the ministry of David Runciman, the chapel became the church of a parishquoad sacra as Newington Parish Church.[4][6] Runciman remained in the established church at theDisruption of 1843; however, many of the congregation joined the newly formedFree Church and four elders from Newington joined four elders fromLiberton Kirk and their minister, James Begg, to establishNewington Free Church nearby, on the opposite side of South Clerk Street.[7][8][9]
After Runciman's departure as minister of Newington Parish Church in 1844, the congregation was without a regular minister until 1859, when James Elder Cumming became minister and the parish's status was recognised by theCourt of Teinds.[4] Anorgan, byForster & Andrews, was installed in 1873, it was only the second organ installed in aChurch of Scotland building in Edinburgh afterOld Greyfriars.[10][8]
The parish covered the affluent villas and terraces of theSouthside andNewington as well as the deprived area aroundCausewayside. John Alison, minister of Newington between 1871 and 1898, described part of the street as "the worst bit of Edinburgh". An international trade slump in the 1850s hollowed-out the area's once thriving weaving industry and deprivation and overcrowding became common.[11]
The church founded a school on Dalkeith Road, opposite Holyrood Park Road and supported a missionary hall in Causewayside until 1866.[8] This was followed by the appointment of a missionary in that area, who operated from the Burnett Buildings, which were known as "The Brickie". A student missionary was appointed in 1890 and new premises were secured in 1899. On 2 April 1916, these were damaged ina Zeppelin raid. Newington Social Union was established at the Brickie in 1892.[12] At the end of the 19th century, the church also supported a district nurse and aDorcas society. Between 1860 and 1892, the church served the girls of theTrades Maiden Hospital, who sat on the south side of the gallery during worship. The boys of Robertson's Academy, off East Preston Street, sat opposite.[10][13]
The congregation also addressed its parish's growing population by contributing £1,500 towards the construction of a new church inSt Leonard's.[14][15] The foundation stone was laid on 1 June 1878 by theEarl of Rosslyn,Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the presence ofJohn Tulloch,Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.[16] St Leonard's Church opened on 6 April 1879. The building was designed byJohn Lessels and, at its opening, had space for 1,000 worshippers as well as an organ byForster & Andrews.[17] On 21 November 1879, the church was gutted by fire but was soon rebuilt, reopening on 21 May 1880 and becoming a chargequoad sacra in 1883 with a parish detached from St Cuthbert's.[18][19][20]
In 1929, theChurch of Scotland united with theUnited Free Church, which had itself been formed by the union of theFree andUnited Presbyterian churches in 1900. The union resulted in 13 parish churches within the area betweenHolyrood Park and theMeadows, south of theold city wall.[21] As theSouthside's population was beginning to decline, amalgamation and closure of some of these churches became a matter of necessity. In 1932, Hugh Cameron resigned as minister of Newington due to ill health and William Liddle, minister of St Leonard's, led the new, united charge of Newington and St Leonard's Parish Church.[22] The St Leonard's buildings were sold to theChurch of Christ for £3,000 and the funds used from its sale were directed to the construction of a new church hall at Newington, designed by J. Jeffrey Waddell and opened on 8 December 1934.[21][a]
In 1941, the Newington Social Union ceased operations and, in 1943, the missionary halls in Causewayside, which the church had let toEdinburgh Coroporation since 1931, were sold. The same year, a former café on Melville Terrace was purchased to serve as a youth centre.[12][25] In 1959, a restoration of the church underIan Gordon Lindsay was completed.[26]
In the post-war period, the Southside's population continued to decline, as did the congregations of the area's churches. In 1967, thePresbytery of Edinburgh proposed a six-way union of congregations to include Newington and St Leonard's withBuccleuch;Charteris-Pleasance;Nicolson Street;St Paul's Newington; and St Margaret's,Dumbiedykes. This proved too complex but a five-fold union, excluding St Paul's Newington was requested by theGeneral Assembly the following year. The congregations of Charteris-Pleasance and St Margaret's supported the move while the others rejected it. Newington and St Leonard's removed itself from negotiations.[27] The congregation continued for seven years more before being dissolved on 31 July 1976.[4][28]
The following ministers served Hope Park Chapel (1824–1834); Newington Parish Church (1834–1932); and Newington and St Leonard's Parish Church (1932–1976):[19][6][29][25][30][28]
1824–1825Robert Gordon
1826–1828 John Forbes
1829–1844 David Runciman
1859–1871 James Elder Cumming
1871–1898 John Alison
1898–1932 Hugh Cameron
1932–1940 William Liddle
1940–1956 Edwin Sprott Towill
1957–1976 Matthew Shields
The following ministers served St Leonard's Parish Church (1879–1932):[19][20][22]
1879–1903 Lewis Frederick Armitage
1904–1912 John Calder
1913–1932 William Liddle[b]
At the time of Newington and St Leonard's Parish Church's closure, theScottish Baroque Ensemble, theScottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Scottish Philharmonic Singers were in search of a permanent base. The Scottish Philharmonic Society commissioned architects Robert Hurd & Partners to draw up plans to convert the church into a concert hall. These were accepted by theCity of Edinburgh Council over a rival proposal to convert the building into offices.[31]
On top of a provisional grant of £35,000 from theScottish Arts Council, a funding appeal was launched in 1977 and had secured £100,000 in individual donations as well as £50,000 from the city council. Larry Rolland of Robert Hurd & Partners was chosen as architect withMelville, Dundas & Whitson as contractors; work began in February 1978. During the construction, the project attracted further funding from sources including a benefit concert byJames Galway and a gala atHopetoun House. This culminated in a £200,000 grant fromLothian Regional Council, this allowed further work to take place, delaying the completion of the project until June 1979.[31]
Ahead of the hall's opening, the name The Queen's Hall was chosen to evoke Edinburgh's royal associations and to reference the memory London'sQueen's Hall. Suggested names which included "Philharmonic" or which evoked the building's ecclesiastical history were discounted.[32]
The conversion of the hall was completed in time for its official opening byElizabeth II on 6 July 1979.[32] Work on the building continued subsequent to its opening. Further works included the opening of the Canada Room in 1982, now known as the Tunnell Room; the addition of amezzanine level to the former hall in 1991; and, in 1996, the installation of a piano lift, new lighting, and carpets along with the refurbishment of the seating.[33]
In August 2003, the hall launched an appeal for funds and announced in November of the same year thatRichard Murphy Architects had been commissioned to upgrade the hall.[34] Murphy's plan involved the demolition of all but the hall's façade and steeple and the creation of a new hall to the rear with capacity for 1,200.[35] David Black, an architectural historian who, as chairman of the South Side Association, opposed plans to turn the building into offices in the 1970s, criticised the plans to redevelop the building.[36] In May 2004, the proposals were dropped. Adrian Harris, the hall's chief executive claimed the proposals could not accommodate extra facilities desired by theScottish Chamber Orchestra and that a new hall at a new site was then being explored.[37] In 2006, a report forEdinburgh City Council by consultancy Art Portfolio suggested a new hall on the waterfront atGranton orLeith to replace the Queen's Hall as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's base. The plan was supported by Herbert Coutts, the city's director of leisure and culture, but criticised by Richard Murphy.[38]
In March 2017, the hall announced it had secured a £650,000Scottish Government grant towards a £3,000,000 renovation, which it aimed to have completed by the building's 200th anniversary in 2023.[39] In May that year, Mill Architects released plans to increase the flow of natural light to the interior while expanding the foyer and renovating seating.[40] By August 2018, completed works included the improvement of the bar areas and a restoration of the exterior. These works were supported by the Scottish Government and byHistoric Environment Scotland.[41]
From 20 March 2020 to 22 August 2021, the hall was closed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic: the longest closure in the venue's history.[42] In January 2021, the hall received money fromHistoric Environment Scotland's COVID-19 Recovery Fund to improve accessibility and to add new toilet facilities.[43]
The hall has hosted artists includingNina Simone,Nick Cave, andAdele. In 2018, the hall estimated it welcomed 90,000 visitors across 200 concerts annually.[41] It is the only major venue to host events for all of theEdinburgh International Festival, theEdinburgh Fringe, and theEdinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.[39] The hall can accommodate 900 standing and 801 seated. Facilities for performers include three dressing rooms, a green room, and a production office.[44]
The Queen's Hall was designed in theneoclassical style by Robert Brown. The building was listed as aCategory A building on 14 December 1970.[45]
The façade centres on an advanced section of threebays divided by fourDoricpilasters beneath a simplepediment. In each bay are two storeys divided by an unadorned course with a round-headed window or door in each storey. Similar bays flank the central section on each side. The round-headed windows and doors are imitated in single-storey screen walls on either side of the building.[45][46][47]
Aplinth above the central section supports asteeple. This consists of a two-storey, octagonal tower. The cardinal faces are longest with Doric pilasters flanking round-headedlouvred openings in the bottom storey and clock faces in the shorter upper storey. Upon these storeys, anIonicperistyledrum withoculi above supports an elongated dome withvane.[45][46][47] George Hay cited this as a "good example" of the domed steeple, which, from the 1820s, came to be viewed as more compatible withneoclassical architecture than thespire.[48] The total height of the steeple is around 35 m (116 ft).[3] It is prominent with the skyline of theSouthside.[49]
The façade is finished inashlar while the side and rear walls are constructed ofsnecked masonry. The front of the church is enclosed by iron railings withacanthus leaf pinnacles.[45][46]
George Hay noted similarities between the exterior of the Queen's Hall and those ofSt Bernard's,Stockbridge by James Milne, completed the same year; andSt Mary's,Bellevue by Thomas Brown, completed the following year. These churches all possess similar steeples and pedimented façade.[50] TheBuildings of Scotland guide to Edinburgh describes the hall as a "less extravagant" version of St Mary's.[46]
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The auditorium is separated from the street by a round vestibule flanked by stair-halls. The auditorium itself is D-shaped and centers on the flat west wall, which includes two tall round-headed windows.Cast iron pillars withacanthus leafcapitals support a U-shaped gallery with round-headed windows above andsegmental arched windows below. The flat ceiling incorporates a design of circles and foliaged roses in plaster.[46][47][51] The auditorium is 31.1 m (102 ft) long by 22.3 m (73 ft) wide.[52]
In 1955, a restoration byIan Gordon Lindsay was completed. This included the painting of the interior in bright pastel colours and the reordering of pews to create chapels beneath the galleries.[26] George Hay found similarity in the design to the "orthodox" rectangular layouts ofSt Bernard's,Stockbridge, andSt Mary's,Bellevue.[50]
The building was significantly altered at its conversion to the Queen's Hall in 1978 and 1979 by Larry Rolland of Robert Hurd & Partners.[31] TheBuildings of Scotland guide to Edinburgh describes the hall's secularisation as "particularly successful" relative to other converted churches in Edinburgh.[53]
In the auditorium, some pews were removed and others adapted. The removal of the 1873Forster & Andrewspipe organ from the rear of the gallery allowed the reinstatement of seating there. Double glazing and a modern ventilation system were also installed.[54] An upper extension was added to the former session house and another extension was added to the south-west of the building. The 1934 hall by J. Jeffrey Waddell became a space for smaller concerts as well accommodating a bar and a meeting space known since 1982 as the Lothian Room.[32] The extensions are masked from the street by screen walls flanking the building's façade. These quote the main building's round-headed windows.[46]
Further work on ancillary buildings included the addition of amezzanine level to the former hall in 1991 and the installation of a piano lift in 1996.[33]
In 1949, the congregation accepted two 14-foot-tall (4.3 m) boards fromBuccleuch Parish Church, which display theLord's Prayer,Creed, andTen Commandments in gold lettering. Since 1950, these have hung one each in the north and south stair-halls. The boards date to the late 18th century and may have come fromSt Cuthbert's or from theCourt of Session.[55][56][57]
Prior to secularisation, the auditorium's focal point had been the originalGreek Revivalpulpit with domed canopy, which George Hay described as "excellent".[47][50][58] At the time of the building's secularisation, this was removed and donated to St Giles' Church,Elgin, while a plastertondo, created and donated by the architects, was affixed to the wall in its place.[59]
Beneath the tondo stood a small pipe organ, created in 1809 byWilliam Gray of London for a chapel atCostessey,Norfolk. This was moved to St Mary and St Walstan's Roman Catholic Church in Costessey in the early 20th century before being acquired by the Queen's Hall and rebuilt by Christopher Dickens in 1979. In 1992, the organ was acquired by the English Organ School inMilborne Port,Somerset.[60][61]
The original clock mechanism had failed by 1883 and was replaced. This mechanism was stolen around the time of the building's conversion and replaced by an electric mechanism.[54]
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