User:Liverdiet/St David of Scotland Episcopal Church

St David of Scotland, Pilton

St David’s Church is in Royston Mains Place in Pilton, Edinburgh. It is an active Episcopalian Church in the Diocese of Edinburgh, part of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Photograph: W. Henderson 02/04/2007 http://www.grantonhistory.org/churches/churches_09.htm

55.9733°N -3.2369°W

Contents:

1. General information

2. History

3. Architect

4. General information

5. References

1. General information

The Scottish Episcopal Church consists of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has held an identity which is distinct from the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian)(1) A continuation of the Church of Scotland’s Jacobite-era, the Scottish Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, and recognising the Archbishop of Canterbury as president of the Anglican Communion, but which does not have jurisdiction in Scotland.

2. History

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, housing in East Pilton was built and in 1936 work started on West Pilton (divided by a railway line, closed in 1962, which is now the West Granton Access Road)(2). West Pilton was completed after WW II. The majority was council housing and most of the tenants in West Pilton came from slum clearances in Leith, and from the Old Town in East Pilton. Both areas were different from each other. East Pilton railway station opened in 1934 to serve the new building work as well as the Northern General Hospital and Bruce Peebles engineering works.

Although designed in 1939, the church of St David of Scotland was not completed until 1941(3). Next to the church was St David’s House, built as the priest’s house. It was later called ‘The Friary’ when it was used by Franciscan Friars. The church hall and the Friary were demolished when they were sold to Crewe Medical Centre. Royston Mains Place was named on 16 January 1936, and the plans for the church were drawn up in 1939 (4).

The first service started at 9 am on Sunday February 23rd 1941, with 8 people present for Holy Communion, and 3/6d in the collection (5). This was in the house at 30 Boswall Green. The dedication of the Mission Hall of St David’s was at 8pm on Wednesday 18th June by Bishop of Edinburgh and St Andrews, the Rt. Revd Logie Lumsden. The numbers in the congregation is not recorded, but the grand sum of £15 3/3p was taken. The service book shows that Revd George C.C. Wilson soon had the pattern of four services on a Sunday, Holy Communion at 7.15am and 9am, 10.15am Parade Service R.N. and Evensong at 6.30pm. Sometimes there was a service at 7.15am, but the number of communicants was normally 2 or occasionally 3, with a regular offering of 9d!

The first funeral recorded in the Register of Services on Sunday 13th July 1941 was that of a 14 year old boy who died on active service. He was Reginald Hamilton Earnshaw from Boswall Parkway (5). A memorial stained glass window was dedicated at St David’s Church on Monday 7th May 2012 to Reginald Earnshaw and all the boy ratings who died in service during World War II.

The Franciscan Friars were living in the friary since 1977, but they had been in the area since 1972 (6). They started an appeal in 1984 to renovate the church hall, for which they needed £10,000. The roof was leaking, and it was so damp inside that it would have to be pulled down if it was not renovated. There was a need for a hall for groups to use in the area. The Friars were very supportive to the local community, and helped people with food, advice and personal problems.

The first congregation started as a cathedral mission, and the charge became an independent congregation in 1973 (7). The priests at St David’s were:

1940-44 George Clarke Cooper Wilson

1944-49 Richard Winter Calvert

1949-54 Robert James Vodden Clark

1954-55 Clarence Edward Brett

1955-59 Arthur Robert Joseph Molyneux

1959-64 Peter Atkins

1965-71 Charles Christopher Porteus

1971-77 Robert Michael Sinclair

1978-79 Colin Wilfred Cherriman (Colin Wilfred SSF)

1979-82 Keith Adrian Mitchell (Crispin SSF)

1982-85 John Charles Bishop (Simeon SSF)

1985-97 James Naylor Wynn-Evans

1998-  David Richard Bunyan

Revd David Bunyan was Companion Missioner until 2000, followed by Revd David James Durie 2002-2013 (8). The current priest is Revd Ruth Green 2014-

The obituary for Rev Canon James Wynn-Evans(9). Died aged 76, a priest who not only provided throughout four decades of his work as Anglican and Episcopal priest pastoral and spiritual care of a high order to his congregations, but also made a significant contribution to the social service infrastructure of the communities where he worked. From 1985-97, he was rector of St David’s Episcopal Church in the deprived area of Pilton, where he formed the Muirhouse and Granton Networking Project – a social care service for the elderly. The establishment of Granton Information Centre owes much to him. Jim always had an practical interest in property, and was never afraid to get his hands dirty. At St David’s he ensured a lasting legacy to Pilton by negotiating the sale of the rectory to be turned by GPs into a medical centre. Jim died after a short illness. Born April 13, 1934; Died August 20, 2010.

3. Architect The architect for the church was Harold Ogle Tarbolton ('Tarrybreeks'), born in 1869 in Nottingham (10). He studied at the University of Bonn, Germany, and worked at 7 Frederick Street, Edinburgh. In 1907 he took over the practice of Hay & Henderson, taking an active part in professional and public life. He was admitted FRIBA in 1904 and was President of the Edinburgh Architectural Association in 1904-06. He was elected to Edinburgh Parish Council, was convener of the Building Committee of Edinburgh Royal Hospital, and a member of the board of governors for both Edinburgh College of Art and Heriot-Watt. In 1932 Tarbolton was elected ARSA in 1931 and RSA in 1934, Ochterlony ARSA in 1939. From 1938 he spent ten years as a Royal Fine Art Commissioner. He was a member of the Amenity Committee, and he was the consulting architect to the Deans and Chapters of St Ninian's Cathedral Perth and Oban Cathedral. Tarbolton died in Edinburgh in 1947.

4. Information on St David of Scotland The church is named after St David of Scotland (c1080-1153) (11). He was the youngest son of Malcolm III (Canmore) and Margaret of Scotland. His two older brothers, Edgar and Alexander I both died childless, so David became king in 1124. His achievements in church life included dividing Scotland into ten areas of pastoral administration with 10 Bishops. He also massively increased the number of parish churches to serve the ordinary people, hoping that everyone would have a church within a day’s walk. He introduced tithing to the church to support a local priest and parish. This meant that hundreds of new churches were built. David also achieved his mother’s desire for the new reformed style monks and nuns to come in as centres of prayer, preaching, learning and caring. He strengthened Dunfermline to have Abbey status. The variety is impressive: Benedictines and Cluniac Benedictines; Cistercians (Melrose, Newcastle, Kinloss, Coupar Angus and Culross) and Tironensians from Tiron near Chartres; Augustinian canons (Jedburgh) and Premonstratensians (Dryburgh).

5. References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Episcopal_Church

2. http://edinburghpastandpresent.com/#/pilton/4552291810

3. http://www.grantonhistory.org/churches/churches_09.htm

4. http://www.grantonhistory.org/streets/royston.htm

5. NRAS2702/17/1/4 Services 1941-1952

6. Evening News May 4,1984 p.6

7. Scottish Episcopal Clergy, 1689-2000 - Page 570 - Google Books

8. Scottish Episcopal Church Directory 2013-2014 ISBN 0905573943

9. http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/obituaries/rev-canon-james-wynn-evans-scottish-episcopal-priest-and-canon-1.1053795 9 September 2010

10. http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=100213

11. Monaghan, Andrew: God’s People? One hundred and ten characters in the story of Scottish Religion (St Andrew Press, Edinburgh: 2012) pp 14-16 ISBN 0715206567

