Trinity Collegiate Church in Edinburgh. Founded by Mary of Guelders, wife of King James II, in the middle of the 15th century at the foot of Calton Hill. It survived for around 400 years until the railway arrived, and that church then found itself in the way. It had to go.
But there was a huge public outcry in the mid-19th century when the church was threatened with demolition. So the North British Railway Company listened to public opinion, and instead of demolition they dismantled the church, stone by stone, numbered the stones, and left them in a big pile on Calton Hill. And that's where they lay for a few decades, lost and abandoned, with any hope of being rebuilt on Calton Hill slowly dying.
But then in 1872 a new Trinity Church was built in Jeffrey Street. Unfortunately the old 15th century church could not be rebuilt, as was hoped, as most of the stone had been stolen from Calton Hill. So, the new church was built largely from new stone, with what remained of the old church stones used to build the apse of the new church. But then - that's a lot of buts - time marches on and in the early 1960s the Jeffrey Street church was itself demolished.
All, that is, with the exception of the apse and the remaining stones of Trinity Collegiate Church.
And today, in the narrow wynd of Chalmers Close, they can still be seen today.
#religioushistory
#edinburgh
#scottishheritage
#scottishhistory
#scotlandhistory
#scotland
#scotlandtourism
#caltonhill
Trinity Collegiate Church in Edinburgh. Founded by Mary of Guelders, wife of King James II, in the middle of the 15th century at the foot of Calton Hill. It survived for around 400 years until the railway arrived, and that church then found itself in the way. It had to go.
But there was a huge public outcry in the mid-19th century when the church was threatened with demolition. So the North British Railway Company listened to public opinion, and instead of demolition they dismantled the church, stone by stone, numbered the stones, and left them in a big pile on Calton Hill. And that's where they lay for a few decades, lost and abandoned, with any hope of being rebuilt on Calton Hill slowly dying.
But then in 1872 a new Trinity Church was built in Jeffrey Street. Unfortunately the old 15th century church could not be rebuilt, as was hoped, as most of the stone had been stolen from Calton Hill. So, the new church was built largely from new stone, with what remained of the old church stones used to build the apse of the new church. But then - that's a lot of buts - time marches on and in the early 1960s the Jeffrey Street church was itself demolished.
All, that is, with the exception of the apse and the remaining stones of Trinity Collegiate Church.
And today, in the narrow wynd of Chalmers Close, they can still be seen today.
#religioushistory
#edinburgh
#scottishheritage
#scottishhistory
#scotlandhistory
#scotland
#scotlandtourism
#caltonhill