Tron Kirk
| Tron Kirk | |
|
Midlothian | |
|---|---|
 Tron Kirk | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT26087371 |
| Location: | 55°57’3"N, 3°11’7"W |
| City: | Edinburgh |
| History | |
| Built 1637 – 1647 | |
| For: | King Charles I by John Mylne |
| Dutch Palladian / Gothic | |
| Information | |
The Tron Kirk is a former principal parish church in Edinburgh, the great city of Midlothian, and a well-known landmark on the Royal Mile. The church was built in the 17th century and closed as a church in 1952. Having stood empty for over fifty years, it was used as a tourist information centre for several years in the mid-2000s and, more recently, was the site of the Edinburgh World Heritage Exhibition and John Kay’s book and gift shop.
The name comes from the weighing beam or 'tron', serving the public market on the Royal Mile, which stood outside until around 1800.
This is the only church of which five consecutive ministers each served at least once as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (eight if including second charge ministers).
History
Archaeology and pre-church history
Archaeological investigations, including excavations and 3D surveys, in 1974, 1983 and 2006 shed light on the area before the construction of the church in the 1630s. The results evidenced that the area was occupied by tenements before the church was built. It appears that they were built during the 15th and 16th centuries and wiped out all traces of earlier mediæval settlements. Documentary research undertaken at the same time was able to provide a picture of the occupants of the buildings back to the late 15th century. The church was built over Marlin's Wynd, Peebles Wynd and Taverner's Close[1]
Building the Kirk
The Tron, as it is commonly called, was ordered to be built by King Charles I when he decided that St Giles' would become the cathedral for the new see of Edinburgh. The land was purchased by the parish from Dr. William Scott, MD, for £1000 Scots. The foundation stone was laid on 4 March 1637. It was erected between 1637 and 1647 to a design by John Mylne, Royal master mason. The design mixed Palladian and Gothic elements and was inspired by contemporary Dutch architecture.[2] The full Chamberlain's Accounts for this project are extant.
The church was formally opened and dedicated to Christ by the citizens of Edinburgh in 1641, and known as "Christ's Kirk at the Tron". It was built for the South-East parish, one of the four parishes of Edinburgh after the Reformation of 1560. Prior to the erection of this new church, parishioners of the North-West parish worshipped in St Giles'. A traveller, visiting the Tron in 1705, recorded his impression in his diary:—
The Nobility generally resort to the Tron Church, which is the principally (sic) and the Lord High Commissioner has a Throne erected in it, in a very spatious Gallery, on his right hand sits the Lord Chancellor, and on his left the Lord Provost of Edenborough.
There were special grants of pews made by the Edinburgh Town Council to noblemen, Senators of the College of Justice, citizens of Edinburgh, Principals and Professors of the University. A full list of seat-holders has been preserved for 1650, the year of the Battle of Dunbar, and for 1745, when Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, was in Edinburgh.
The width of the building was reduced when both side aisles were removed in 1785 to accommodate the South Bridge and Blair Street leading to Hunter Square. In 1828 a new spire (designed by R & R Dickson[3]) was constructed to replace the original, destroyed in the Great Edinburgh Fire of November 1824.
The church held its last service on Sunday 21 September 1952 after which the clergy and congregation walked in procession to St Giles’ Cathedral with the communion cups of 1633, baptismal basin and laver of 1682.[4] The congregation merged with the Tron Kirk, Moredun.
Archaeological excavations
In 1974 archaeological excavations took place under the church which revealed foundations of 16th-century buildings from a long-vanished close, Marlins Wynd, named after a stonemason Walter Merlioun who lived there in 1500. This was retained as a piece of publicly visible urban archaeology until the building was refloored in 2004. The public could view the remnants of the basements, the paved closes, and drainage channels in a Pompeii style, viewing from a walkway around the inner perimeter.
After deconsecration
In September 1953 the Town Council agreed to purchase the Tronk Kirk from the Church of Scotland for £12,500, and intended to adapt the building for civic purposes at a further cost of £9,250[5] However the deal was not agreed.
In 1960 against the bid of £12,500 from the Corporation, Tronsite Ltd put up £15,000, took over the church and intended to demolish it to erect a new shop and office block on the site, but the Corporation put a Preservation Order on the building, so it was put up for sale in 1962.[6] The church was subsequently left to decay, and the interiors were eventually gutted.[7]
In 1969, the kirk was acquired by the Corporation for the sum of £25,000.[8] The corporation decided that they would invest £28,000 converting the building into a civic display centre. In addition repairs to the tower and spire costing £15,000 were also needed.[9] The main contract for work was placed in June 1974 and work started in September. However escalating costs led to much of the proposed project being abandoned. The building finally opened to the public in June 1987.[10]
Between 2018 and early 2020, the Tron Kirk hosted an exhibition which showcased the Edinburgh Old and New Towns UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as Scotland’s five other World Heritage Sites.
The exhibition aimed to capture the essence of the World Heritage Site in Edinburgh through the voices and opinions of local people. The story was told in a series of videos, quotes, and specially commissioned portraits from the photographer Alicia Bruce.
In Summer 2019, two retail outlets opened within the exhibition: John Kay's Shop (a gift shop), and the Scottish Textiles Showcase.[11]
In May 2021, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust announced plans to restore the building and give it "a new and meaningful lease of life".
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Tron is also used as a venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, when it has been operated by Just The Tonic and Freestival as a music, comedy and cabaret venue and cafe.[12][13]
Clock
The first clock was installed in 1658. It had originally been in the Weigh House at the head of West Bow. This clock was lost in the fire of 1824. A new clock by James Clark of Edinburgh was obtained to replace it. It is an eight day clock installed in 1828.[14]
Outside links
References
- ↑ Cook, Martin; Cross, Morag; Lawson, John A. (2013). "Marlin's Wynd: new archaeological and documentary research on Post-mediæval settlement below the Tron Kirk, Edinburgh.". Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports 55. doi:10.9750/issn.2056-7421.2013.55. http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/85. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ↑ Howard, Deborah Architecture of Scotland: Reformation to Restoration, 1560–1660 Edinburgh University Press, 1995, p.192
- ↑ Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Dickson
- ↑ "Historic Tron Kirk". The Scotsman (United Kingdom). 18 September 1952. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005085/19530926/017/0002.
- ↑ "The Tron Kirk". Oban Times (United Kingdom). 26 September 1953. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005085/19530926/017/0002.
- ↑ "Tron Kirk Is Up For Sale Again". Edinburgh Evening News (United Kingdom). 13 July 1962. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000452/19620713/311/0009.
- ↑ McWilliam, p.174
- ↑ "Tron Kirk bought back for city in £25,000 deal". The Scotsman (United Kingdom). 24 December 1969. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19691224/016/0001.
- ↑ "Tron Kirk to be display centre". The Scotsman (United Kingdom). 4 February 1971. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19710204/106/0004.
- ↑ "Tron Kirk doors open again after 35 years". The Scotsman (United Kingdom). 26 June 1987. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19870626/085/0006.
- ↑ "A new use for the Tron". https://ewh.org.uk/project/our-world-heritage/.
- ↑ "Acts @ the Tron Kirk". 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160326020640/http://www.freestival.co.uk/news/acts-the-tron-kirk. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
- ↑ "Just the Tonic at the Tron | Venue number 51". https://tickets.edfringe.com/venues/just-the-tonic-at-the-tron.
- ↑ Butler, Dugald (1908). The Tron Kirk of Edinburgh. Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier. p. 282.
- Butler, The Rev. D. (Minister of the Tron parish): 'The Tron Kirk of Edinburgh' (1906)
- 'The Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh' (1984) pp. 172–175 ISBN 0-14-071068-X