Edinburgh: New Town Church

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Edinburgh: The New Town Church of Scotland

Edinburgh’s New Town Church serves the city’s New Town in Scotland. It is a Church of Scotland congregation formed on 1 February 2024 by the union of St Andrew’s & St George’s West and Greenside Church. The parish covers the First New Town and a small part of the early-19th-century Second New Town.

The church building sits at 13 George Street, on the north side of the street. The George Street church was completed in 1784 and is a Category A listed building. It is notable for its elliptical, first-in Britain design. The 51-metre steeple was finished in 1787–1788 and holds a set of eight bells, the oldest complete ring in Scotland. Inside, the ceiling and decoration reflect 18th-century classical taste, with a pulpit on the north wall and a gallery around the ellipse. The original box pews were altered in later renovations. The stained-glass windows include The Beatitudes (1913) and The Son of Man (1934).

The church has a long history tied to Edinburgh’s growing New Town. St Andrew’s Church opened in 1784 on George Street, while St George’s Church (later used in different ways) began nearby in the early 1800s. The children of the era’s Enlightenment built a strong, shared church culture, and the area has seen several union and renovation moves over the years. The 1843 Disruption, when many ministers left to form the Free Church, is a notable moment in the church’s past.

In 2010, the congregation of St Andrew’s and St George’s West joined with St George’s West at Shandwick Place, and in 2013 the Shandwick Place building became Charlotte Chapel. In 2014–2016 the George Street and Shandwick Place sites were used differently as part of changing arrangements for worship and church life.

Today, Edinburgh New Town Church is one of three churches in the Together group in the New Town, alongside St John’s (Episcopal) and St Cuthbert’s. The church continues its work in the community and supports Christian Aid’s annual book sale, a long-running fundraising event.