St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral
‘Stopped into a church I passed along the way’ is an apt line from a song that came to mind while on the way back from my visit to the Edinburgh Modern Art Gallery (see Part 197 of this blog). The song is California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas from 1966. This is a big song, with big vocals and big harmonies so it’s kind of fitting for viewing St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral which is a large and impressive building.
Located in the West End at Palmerston Place, it’s not to be mixed up with St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in the East End at Broughton Street. This can be confusing when visiting the city if the exact name isn’t typed into Google Maps for example. The Episcopal also has the name of the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, construction began in 1874, and opened in 1879.
The design is what is known as Victorian Gothic revival which I’ve always liked. It is only one of three in the United Kingdom to have three spires. The main spire is 90 metres tall making it the tallest building in the Edinburgh urban area. It is listed as a Category A building, and is part of the Edinburgh old and new town heritage site. The other two spires were completed in 1917 and are known as Barbara and Mary after the Walker sisters whose bequest of the land to the Episcopal church provided a suitable site.
The interior is not as ornate or grand as many of the churches I’ve visited, but no less impressive. From outside I could see this church is bigger than is usual in Scotland, but was still surprised by the size once inside. The arches and columns are grey with the main high ceiling in two sections, one I would describe as ivory, the other simply dark brown wood. The tiled floor is in pastel shades which to my mind are ivory, along with pale gold, yellow and orange. To the left and right under the arches the ceiling is ivory, while the lightning ensures this is far from a gloomy place. The absence of highly ornate decoration typical of many churches in Europe, does not detract from the understated grandeur of this place. It really is a lovely church and I was surprised how well the pictures I took turned out.
Given the short time I had to visit and the time of day, I didn’t hear any of the daily choral services that are typical here. It is worth highlighting that this is the only cathedral in Scotland to maintain such a tradition. If you find yourself in this part of the town, it is well worth looking in.