James Street Relief Church Edinburgh

[John Bird]

Hi

I would like to know whether the James Street Relief Church Edinburgh is still standing and, and if so, where its is/ or was. Several of my ancestors (including my g x2 grandmother Jean Robertson) were baptised there. I am visiting Edinburgh in August and would like to go to the Church if it is still around.

regards


John

[smudge]

Hi John

James Street is in the Portobello area of Edinburgh. If you give me a couple of days I will find out if the church is still there.

Smudge

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

The records you have showing James Street Relief Church - what parish were these records from? As Smudge says above, there is a James Street in Portobello, but in pre-1896, Portobello was not in Edinburgh (city), it was in Duddingston parish, Midlothian (or County of Edinburgh). Is that the James Street you are seeking, or was it in one of the traditional Edinburgh parishes (Edinburgh, Canongate or St Cuthberts)?

All the best,

AndrewP

[John Bird]

Hi Andrew and Smudge

Thank for your responses. The Register of Baptisms says James Place Edinburgh. Further investigation indicates that the St James Place Relief Church could have been in the chapel in Lady Lawson's Wynd.

I hope this helps. I read somewhere that many of the Relief Churches at some stage joined the other Successionist Churhes to form the UP church in mid 1800s.

regards

John

[Outlander]

I see it's been a while since anyone replied to this posting , but I hope this contribution is of value. The address was definately St James' Place, we were living at no 6 St James' Place until we were moved out (as were all the other tenants) when the area was demolished to build the King James Hotel &The St James' Shopping Complex - that hasn't lasted ! The heart was ripped out of the community when the greedy 'fat cats' and corruption in the council allowed the demolishion to proceed, against the planners advice - then they build a concrete monstrosity !

The church in question is still standing and is used (I believe) as a storage unit, possibly for John Lewis. I have read somewhere (Canmore or SCRAN perhaps) that it was decommissioned as a place of worship a few years before WW2, in the 30's. As a child (in the 50's) we kids used the doorway (nearest to Cathedral Lane) as a swing, you can see the hard grooves that are cut into the stone. At that time the building was used as a parcel sorting office by the GPO, their vans would come and go to and from the Waverly station all day & night.

[Currie]

Hello Outlander,

Welcome to TalkingScot, and thanks very much for your contribution.

Here’s part of an article about the centenary of the St James Place United Presbyterian Church from The Scotsman, 15 December, 1896.

“The session-clerk of the congregation, Mr J. E. Pitman, then submitted a retrospective statement of the history of the congregation, in which it was stated that St James’ Church belonged to the Relief branch of the United Presbyterian Church. The congregation had originally sprung from the College Street Church, and it was first established in Lady Lawson’s Wynd. That church was made to hold 1000 people; but the congregation grew so rapidly that another church had to be found, and their present one was built in the year 1800. The first minister was the Rev. Thomas Thomson Duns, and the period of his ministry extended from 1797 to 1818. In 1818 the Rev. James Kirkwood, Kilmarnock, became the pastor, and he had as his colleagues in the ministry the Rev. Dr Logan Aikman, the Rev. Dr Drummond (now of Glasgow), and the Rev. Dr Morton. Mr Kirkwood died in 1877, and left Dr Morton in sole charge from that year until the Rev. J. W. Dunbar came as his colleague and successor in 1884. Three years later Dr. Morton died, and Mr Dunbar has since been the minister of the congregation.’

All the best,
Alan

[John Bird]

Hi Alan

Thanks for your message.

It has provided me with more information about the church my ancestors were associated for which I am greatly appreciative .

regards


John

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

Click on the link below for an 1893 Ordnance Survey map of the area alongside a modern aerial view of the same area.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by ... =ESRIWorld

The U.P. Church is central to this map.

The modern aerial view shows at the south edge the construction site for the buildings currently going up to replace the St James Centre (opened 1969-1970, closed 2016, subsequently demolished).

All the best,

AndrewP

[Outlander]

Hi John

Here is a bit more I have found, they are photographs and don't seem to want to appear on the Forum, but if you like I can send them to you directly if there is a way to do that.

First is the Kirkwood Map, showing St James' Place in full, nos 1-4 no running from Little King Street to Cathedral Lane, then the church then nos 5 - 10 running from Cathedral Lane to Swinton Row. Note that Cathedral Lane and Swinton Row are not named on the map, I wonder why ?
Second is before the horse Shoe bar & hostel were demolished (nos 5-10 have already gone)
Third is just as it appears today:

[Outlander]

Hi Again John

Just found this online, hope it's of interest, I googled the following:

St James' Place Relief Church Greenside Edinburgh

Search Results
books.google.co.nz › books
Report ... for 1842 - Page 36

1842 - ‎Read
South College street Relief Church 4.5 James' place Missionary Society in Relief Congregation 5 Children in Dr Bell's School, Greenside row 1 Rose street Sabbath School 1 — Mercantile Bible & Miss. Society 2 Elgin and Morayshire ...
books.google.co.nz › books
Publications - Issues 15-16 - Page 137

A. Ian Dunlop - 1989 - ‎Snippet view
184 St. James' Place 0n 9th May 1796 a petition was presented to the Relief Presbytery from several heads of families asking to be received as a forming congregation and ... 'Second Relief in Edinburgh. However in 1800, a move was made to a new church in St. James' Place, costing £3600 and sitting 1540. ... Ministers 1797 Thomas TH0MS0N 1818 James KIRKW00D MA 1845 John - 137 - Greenside.