| The King's Hall | |
|---|---|
| Community Church Edinburgh | |
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| 55°56′25.8″N3°10′48.85″W / 55.940500°N 3.1802361°W /55.940500; -3.1802361 | |
| Location | Edinburgh |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Independent evangelical |
| Previous denomination | Church of Scotland (1929–1984) United Free Church of Scotland (1900–1929) Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900) |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Paul's Newington Parish Church (1942–1984) Newington East Parish Church (1929–1942) Newington United Free Church (1900–1929) Newington Free Church (1843–1900) |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | David Cousin; Henry & Maclennan |
| Style | Gothic revival |
| Completed | 1843 |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Rupert Ward |
Historic site | |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | The King's Hall, (Formerly St Paul's Newington Church of Scotland) 41A South Clerk Street |
| Designated | 29 April 1977 |
| Reference no. | LB27504 |
The King's Hall is a church inNewington, Edinburgh, Scotland. Constructed asNewington Free Church in 1843, it is now used byCommunity Church Edinburgh: an independentevangelical congregation.
The church was founded by factions fromLiberton andNewington Parish Church, who had joined theFree Church at theDisruption of 1843. Its first minister wasJames Begg. The congregation joined theUnited Free Church in 1900 and theChurch of Scotland in 1929 asNewington East Parish Church.McCrie-Roxburgh united with the church in 1920 and, in 1942, the congregation united withSt Paul's Church inSt Leonard's to formSt Paul's Newington Parish Church. In 1984, the Church of Scotland congregation united withKirk o' Field Parish Church and the buildings were sold to an independent evangelical congregation,Edinburgh City Fellowship, which has been known as Community Church Edinburgh since 2000. Between 1986 and 2007, the church buildings also housed Regius School: an independent Christian school.
The church's building was designed byDavid Cousin and constructed in 1843. Its present appearance is largely due to a major renovation of 1907 by Henry & Maclennan. Since 1977, the building has beenCategory B listed.
Newington Free Church was formed at theDisruption of 1843. Although David Runciman, minister ofNewington Parish Church had remained in theestablished church, many of the congregation, including four elders, had joined the newly establishedFree Church. The congregation secured a site for a new church on South Clerk Street and were joined by four elders fromLiberton and their minister,James Begg. Begg and the Free congregation of Liberton had been unable to find a site in their village. By 10 November the same year, the new church was opened.[1]
The church was designed byDavid Cousin. Originally situated among green fields, the building was soon surrounded as the city grew.[2] Four years after the opening, Cousin converted the east end of the church as a school. An organ by C. & F. Hamilton was added in 1902 and rebuilt byEustace Ingram in 1908. In 1907, the church's interior was altered to accommodate an organ and its façade remodelled in the late Scottish Gothic style. This renovation was mostly funded by a distiller, Duncan Stewart, earning the church the local nickname "The Whisky Kirk".[3][4][5] From its foundation to the 1870s, the congregation supported missionary work inCausewayside. It also supported a school on Causewayside, which remained under church control even after theEducation (Scotland) Act 1872 brought other church schools under state control.[6]
The congregation supported the union of the Free Church and theUnited Presbyterian Church and, like most Free congregations, joined the newly formedUnited Free Church in 1900.[4][7] On uniting withMcCrie-Roxburgh in 1920, the congregation retained the name Newington. At the union of the United Free Church with the Church of Scotland in 1929, however, the congregation adopted the name Newington East Parish Church to differentiate it from the nearby Newington Parish Church.[8][9]
In the interwar period, the church's congregation had been declining and its finances were deteriorating. The minister, Andrew Gilchrist, agreed to retire in 1942. This allowed the union ofSt Paul's and Newington East to form St Paul's Newington on 4 October the same year.[10][11] The local population and church membership continued to decline and the Newington St Paul's considered union with Newington and St Leonard's in 1956 and 1972, with College in 1961, and with Salisbury in 1967. The same year, thePresbytery of Edinburgh proposed a six-way union of congregations to include St Paul's Newington withNewington and St Leonard's;Charteris-Pleasance;Nicolson Street;Buccleuch; and St Margaret's,Dumbiedykes. This proved too complex.[12]
Newington was the site of an earlyecumenical joint council of churches. The council proposed an ecumenical partnership withSt Peter's Episcopal Church but this was rejected by St Paul's Newington's kirk session. The congregation rejected an offer by the South Side Community Care Project to use the halls as a staffed day centre. At the departure of St Paul's Newington's last minister, Alexander Cassells, thePresbytery of Edinburgh offered the congregation dissolution or union withKirk o' Field. Despite briefly considering a cross-denominational union with Dalkeith RoadUnited Reformed Church, the congregation accepted the latter offer and joined Kirk o' Field on 6 May 1984.[13]
The following ministers served Newington Free Church (1843–1900); Newington United Free Church (1900–1929); Newington East Parish Church (1929–1942); and St Paul's Newington Parish Church (1942–1984):[2][14][11][15][16][17]
After St Paul's Newington's union withKirk o' Field in 1984, the buildings were sold to Edinburgh City Fellowship, an independentevangelical church, for £60,000. The new congregation took possession of the buildings in January 1985 and subsequently reordered the sanctuary as a multi-purpose auditorium.[18][19] The Edinburgh City Fellowship had been founded in the late 1970s as an offshoot of City Temple: aPentecostal church.[20]
From 1986, the church operated Regius School, an independent Christian school, in the halls of the church. It relocated toMusselburgh in 2007.[18][21] After an internal disgreement in 2000, the congregation changed its name to Community Church Edinburgh. Initially led by Colin Symes, the congregation leadership transitioned to Rupert Ward in 2014 with Symes retiring from paid ministry in 2020.[20]
Community Church Edinburgh defines itself as "Jesus focused", "Presence loving", "Scripture centred", "Kingdom orientated", "Spirit led", and "Missionally committed". The congregation's activities include Sunday worship as well as community groups and afood bank. The church's leadership team is led by Rupert Ward.[20] Bethel Edinburgh Sozo, an "inner healing ministry", is also operated in the King's Hall by members of Community Church Edinburgh.[22]
During theEdinburgh Fringe, the building is operated bySummerhall as a performance venue.[23]
The church was designed byDavid Cousin and completed in 1843.[2] Four years after the opening, Cousin converted the east end of the church as a school and raised the interior to accommodate galleries.[24] In 1907, the church was altered by Henry & Maclennan, who added achancel to the interior and remodelled its façade remodelled in the late Scottish Gothic style.[3][4][5]
The façade, as remodelled in 1907 is symmetrical with a central bay of consisting of pitchedgable and four-light window of curvilineartracery at above a round-arched door. This bay is heavilybuttressed and flanked by bays imitating the ends ofaisles with straight, piercedparapets above single-light windows. The interior consists of four bays with anarcade of cast iron pillars supporting a U-shaped gallery. At the east end is a chancel added in 1907.[5][24]
The church was inscribed as aCategory B listed building on 29 April 1977.[24]
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