st giles’ · pdf filepage 3 the possibilities of poetry
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Page 1
St Giles’ News
St Giles’ Cathedral: The High Kirk of Edinburgh
January 2018
St Giles’ Cathedral is a registered Scottish charity SC003565
A New Year Message
from the Minister
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year.
Welcome to this latest edition of the St. Giles’ newsletter and again I am
grateful to the editor and all who have submitted contributions. The re-
sponse to the October newsletter was tremendous.
“What a friend we have in Jesus.”
So goes the old favorite gospel hymn which has brought comfort and sol-
ace to generations of Christians. There are numerous references to friend-
ship in relation to Jesus in the New Testament. Luke’s telling of the heal-
ing of the paralyzed man (Luke 5) offers one example when the man is
lowered from the roof (by his friends?) and Jesus heals him, addressing
him as ‘Friend.’
The theologian Gregory Jones writes that “friendship has a complex yet
rich history” as a topic of discussion in the Christian tradition. This is main-
ly because friendship has a mutuality that is inherent in its make up and
for some Christians true Christian love (in the Greek, agape) can have no
call for a response to the love given, often citing the command to ‘love our
enemies’ as the proof of that.
This seems like a rather harsh and limiting understanding of love which
places friendship outside the economy of Christian experience. This partic-
ularly so when Jesus often cites friendship in the context of his own minis-
try, even calling the disciples “not servants but friends” (in John 15.)
In my experience friendship is a central part of the experience of living in
Christian community and is a kind of laboratory for learning how to love in
a way that is not excluding but leaves one open to living into the call to
agape.
So dear friends at St. Giles’, I hope this New Year brings to you the joy of
new and continued friendships.
Peace,
Calum
Welcome to the St Giles’ News
Amongst the very positive and
welcome feedback received after
the publication of the first edition
of the St Giles’ News in October,
it was suggested that a 24 page
newsletter was perhaps a bit on the long side
and I therefore ran the risk of running out of ma-
terial and ideas for future editions.
Having taken that point on board, I have found
myself in the enviable position where, yet again, I
have received far more relevant material than I
ever expected when this newsletter was first
mooted.
As far as I am concerned this conveys two very
positive messages. Firstly, the sheer extent of
the activity that takes place in the name of St
Giles’ - much of which is time-sensitive and de-
serves to be published. Secondly, the keenness
of so many who just want to contribute because
they have a story to share, whether it be news, a
report, forthcoming events or just their love of the
history and life of the cathedral. I welcome such
enthusiasm and hope you in turn enjoy their con-
tributions as you read through the pages.
My task is to produce a newsletter but by doing
so I have gained a real insight of the amazing
workload undertaken by so many within the over-
all community of St Giles’. In particular, because
it lies at the epicentre of our Christian beliefs, I
stand in awe of the work undertaken over the
recent festive season by Calum, Helen and the
ministerial team, so ably supported by Michael
Harris, the choir and the Beadles.
Data Protection
We take our responsibilities with regard to the correct use of emails very serious-
ly. However being able to keep people informed of our activities by email saves
printing, stationery and postal costs If you are not already receiving your copy of
the Newsletter and other selected information by email then we would welcome
your permission to do so by emailing [email protected]
Equally if you would rather we stopped contacting you by email then please let us
know.
Page 2
Index
Dates for the diary
Page 1 Message from the Minister & Welcome
Page 2 Index & Forward Dates
Page 3 The Possibilities of Poetry
Pages 4—7 Family Matters
Pages 8 Our Shop & John Knox’s ‘Will’
Page 9 &10 News from the Session
Page 10 Hogmanay Service 1902
Page 11 Scottish Evening
Page12 Who was St Giles?
Page 13—16 Neighbourhood News
Page 17 Memorial Window to Robert Burns
Page 18 The Tower & Clock Faces
Page 19 Parish Boundary
Page 20 Contact details
Sunday, 28 January– St Giles’– 6.00pm
Homeless Sunday concert by the Kevock Choir. Admission
Free . Retiral collection on behalf of the Rock Trust– see
Page 15.
Wednesday, 31 January—Lower Aisle at 7.30pm
To reflect on the poems in ‘The Splash of Words’—led by Hel-
en Alexander—See Page2
Wednesday, 14 February—Ash Wednesday
Sunday. 18 February–Venue to be advised–4.00pm
For the Season of Lent. To reflect on the poems in ‘The
Sunday. 25 February–Venue to be advised–4.00pm
For the Season of Lent. To reflect on the poems in ‘The
Sunday. 11 March–Venue to be advised–4.00pm
For the Season of Lent. To reflect on the poems in ‘The
Heart’s Time’ - led by Helen Alexander—see Page 2.
Sunday. 18 March–Venue to be advised– 4.00pm
For the Season of Lent. To reflect on the poems in ‘The
Heart’s Time’ - led by Helen Alexander—see Page 2
Sunday, 25 March—Palm Sunday
Friday, 23 March—St Giles—7.30pm
Concert by the Southside Choir to raise funds for the chari-
table work undertaken by St Giles’- see Page 15.
Sunday, 1 April–Easter Sunday
Saturday,21 April–St Giles’- 5.30pm
Meet the Author of ‘The College of God’ and ‘The Splash of
Words’ by Rev Canon Mark Oakley –led by Helen Alexander –
see Page 2
Wednesday, 25 April—Lower Aisle-7.30pm
To reflect on the poems in the ‘Splash of Words’—led by Hel-
en Alexander—See Page2
Sunday, 29 April– After Church
Spring Lunch Garden Party hosted by Tony & Maureen Toft
and organised by the Neighbourhood Group. Further details
to follow.
St Giles’ Cathedral
2018 CHARITY CALENDAR With very many thanks to the manager, staff and volunteers in
the Shop, £1,445 was raised from the sales of the 2018 Charity
Calendar. These proceeds will be used to support the Cathe-
dral’s charitable objectives as managed by the Neighbourhood
Group.
The cost of the calendars was entirely covered by sponsorship
together with very considerable help from Peter Backhouse
who supplied the photographs and organised the printing.
Thank you Peter.
Page 3
The Possibilities of Poetry……………
An article submitted by The Rev Helen Alexander
Don’t forget the website!
A lot of people do not appreciate just how much cur-
rent information is available from the Cathedral’s web-
site. For example , if you miss the Sunday Services
then the Intimations are there for you to read.
If you don’t already use this resource then have a look
at—
www.stgilescathedral.org.uk
The St Giles’ emailing list
We can only send the St Giles’ News and other periodic communications
from St Giles’ by email if we have specific permission to do so. Consequent-
ly on 6 October the Minister wrote to all on the Roll inviting them to give
permission so that we could send important information to them by email.
As a result we are now able to communicate with over 270 individuals on
this basis. This progress is significantly helpful,
However, if you are not on the emailing list but would like to be added then
please send an email to [email protected] to give us the necessary
permission.
If in doubt or you would like further information please contact the Editor—
Simon Bolam—at 07850 790051
• for thinking about faith and life: a meeting in the Lower Aisle of St Giles’ on Wednesday 31st
January and Wednesday 25th April 7.30 – 9pm to reflect on poems in The Splash of Words an
anthology by Mark Oakley;
• for the season of Lent: meetings on Sundays 18th and 25th February and 11th and 18th March
4.00 –5.30pm, meeting place to be announced, to reflect on poems in The Heart’s Time: A po-
em a day for Lent and Easter by Janet Morley;
• meet the author: The Rev Mark Oakley, Canon Chancellor, St Paul’s Cathedral, London and au-
thor of The Collage of God and The Splash of Words: Believing in Poetry in conversation with
Helen Alexander in St Giles’ Cathedral on Saturday 21st April 5.30 – 6.30pm.
We shall also be delighted to welcome The Rev Mark Oakley as preacher on Sunday 22nd April at 11.30am.
Further details will follow in the Intimations; or for more information on these events, please contact The Rev
Helen Alexander, Assistant Minister, St Giles’ on [email protected] - 0131 346 0685.
Mark Oakley
About Rev Canon Mark Oakley
The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley - Chancellor St Paul’s Cathedral—is responsible for the Cathedral's Schools & Families
Department, Adult Learning and St Paul's Institute and for the visual arts policy. Mark was educated in London and Oxford and ordained at St Paul’s in 1993. He served his curacy at St John’s Wood (1993-6), before becoming Chaplain to the Bishop (1996-2000) and later Rector of St Paul’s, Covent Garden (2000-2005). He then became Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe. Mark returned to London and Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, in 2008 before moving to St Paul’s. He is also a Deputy Priest in Ordinary to HM The Queen (1996-). He is Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College, London.
Page 4
Family matters
Two of our Monthly Ministers
In recent years our ministerial team has been strongly supported by a succession of distinguished ministers who
serve and participate in our services on a monthly rotational basis. In more recent months we have additionally
welcomed the Rev Dr Anne Logan and the Rev Professor Kenneth Boyd. We were therefore delighted when they
both agreed to write short articles to introduce themselves to us.
The Rev Dr Anne Logan
Anne Logan is one of the retired ministers who con-
tribute to St Giles’ worship on a monthly basis. A
daughter and grand-daughter of the manse, Anne
experienced her call to the ministry in her teens and
fortunately, from her perspective at least, the
Church of Scotland allowed women to become min-
isters a short time thereafter! After training at New
College in the 1970’s, Anne went on to spend her
entire ministry in Edinburgh, eventually retiring from
Stockbridge Parish Church in 2012.
Anne is married to Mike, a consultant anaesthetist.
They have two sons, two daughters-in-law and three
grandsons and they are privileged to be able to play
with the grandsons on two or three days a week
whilst their parents are out at work!
Anne and Mike enjoy sailing and keep their yacht at
Largs. They are inclined to potter around the Clyde
rather than venturing on long passages. As the
years go on, they increasingly prefer to sail in good
weather! Anne also enjoys gardening, walking and
reading. She is one of the Presbytery Chaplains and
also still has some involvement with Candidates
acting as a facilitator for the Ministries Training Net-
work.
Although often away conducting worship elsewhere,
Anne is enjoying getting to know St Giles’ and its
people.
The Rev Professor Kenneth Boyd
Kenneth Boyd was brought up in Easter Ross and studied
Divinity at New College, where he was a contemporary of
Hugh Davidson and Murray Chalmers. His wife, Pat, was for
many years head of Religious Education at George Watsons
and did much to establish her subject in the curriculum of
Scottish schools, for which she was awarded an MBE in the
2018 New Year Honours. Pat and Kenneth live in the New
Town and regularly visit Pat’s family home in Cumbria. Ken-
neth’s PhD was in Scottish Church History, but during his
time as Associate and subsequently International Chaplain
to the University of Edinburgh he became interested in Med-
ical Ethics of which he is now Professor Emeritus and still
teaches part-time in the University College of Medicine; he
is an elected Fellow and College Cleric of the Royal College
of Physicians of Edinburgh and an Honorary Vice-President
of the Institute of Medical Ethics. The mentors to whom he
owes most were Professor James Blackie and Father Ro-
land Walls in whose community, then in Sheffield, he spent
a formative year between his arts and divinity degrees. Ken-
neth was for some years, editor of Contact, the Journal of
Pastoral Studies, and is currently an Associate Editor of the
Journal of Medical Ethics, on which subject he has pub-
lished a variety of books and articles. He has also written on
animal ethics and more recently, on the religious philosophy
of the poet Coleridge. He has been since 1987 an ecumeni-
cal member of the clergy team of St John’s Princes Street,
and more recently of the rural North Westmorland Church of
England parishes, but he was especially delighted to be
invited to return to his Presbyterian roots, and to be among
many familiar faces, as a monthly assistant at St Giles’.
Page 5
Family matters—continued
Knighthood for former Moderator
A distinguished Church of Scotland minister with “outstanding
gifts of intellect and leadership” has been given a knighthood
in the New Year Honours list.
The Very Reverend Professor Iain Torrance has been honoured
for his service to the Church, theological education, interfaith
dialogue, the British Army and work to combat homophobia.
Professor Torrance is pictured with dog Cassiopea—photo by
Robyn Torrance.
The 68-year-old, who will become a Knight Bachelor (Kt), is an
academic theologian with an international reputation.
He convened the Church’s Theological Forum, which ad-
dressed questions relating to same-sex marriage, until May
2017.
Married with two children, Professor Torrance served as Mod-
erator of the General Assembly in 2003-04 and has been the
Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen since 2013.
He said he was “literally speechless” when he received a letter
from the Cabinet Office stating that Prime Minister Theresa
May was recommending to the Queen that he should be
knighted.
A former Territorial Army Chaplain, Professor Torrance was
ordained as a minister of Northmavine Parish Church, Shet-
land in 1982. He held the position until 1985 when he first
moved into academia at Queen’s College and then the Univer-
sity of Birmingham.
Professor Torrance was the president of Princeton Theological
Seminary in New Jersey, USA from 2004-2012.
The minister, whose father Very Rev Thomas F Torrance was
Moderator in 1976-77, has also been recognised for his work
on interfaith dialogue with Jewish and Islamic communities.
He was presented with the “Friend for Life Award” by Equality
Scotland in 2004 and he co-edited the leading academic jour-
nal Scottish Journal of Theology for more than 30 years.
Aberdeen-born Professor Torrance was educated at the univer-
sities of Edinburgh, St Andrews and Oxford.
And as members of St Giles’, we are delighted that Iain and
Morag additionally play such an active role as members of our
congregation.
Ed. Information largely taken from the Church of Scotland
website
From Assistant Minister to Moderator Designate
The Reverend Susan Brown
Memories of St Giles’
It is a very long time since I was an assistant minister at St
Giles’. I arrived in June 1983 to serve my probationary peri-
od (and beyond) under the then minister Rev. Gilleasbuig
MacMillan. His patience, example and careful encourage-
ment, very much helped to shape the minister I would be-
come.
Sunday worship in its different forms was the most inspira-
tionally fertile time for someone who was eager to soak up
what ministry might involve. The quality and diversity of
worship was truly breath-taking. Aside from Sundays, per-
haps my most abiding memory and another valuable strand
of the experience I had at St Giles’ was in undertaking a
parish visitation. The parish had, as it still has, an extremely
diverse mixture of businesses and properties. I had never
been in a ‘Bookies’ before, or in a snug bar and yet in these
places as well as in all the shops and restaurants, conversa-
tions opened up as I took to the owners and employees, the
greetings of the congregation. The importance of such con-
versations has stuck with me.
As has so many of the individuals whose wisdom, guidance
and friendship made my time at St Giles’ so memorable and
enjoyable. I found a gathered congregation who loved the
history of their worship tradition and their connection to it,
but who were also acutely aware of the contemporary chal-
lenges facing the church and congregation. The richness of
their heritage was a richness they wanted to maintain and
pass on to future generations.
I am grateful still, for the immense amount of knowledge
and inspiration my time at St Giles’ afforded me and thank
you most sincerely for the way the congregation continues to
provide that age-old and yet freshly challenging face of the
Gospel under your current minister and Kirk Session.
Be blessed even as you are a blessing!
Page 6
……………and a warm welcome to Jordan
We are very pleased to welcome our new Assistant Organist, Jordan English. Jordan hails
from Carlisle, where he was a cathedral chorister and later Organ Scholar. He is a gradu-
ate of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and is currently completing a
Masters degree in organ at the Royal College of Music in London. Jordan’s first Sunday
was 21st January.
Michael Harris
Family matters—continued
Farewell to Peter—Assistant Organist……...
An article prepared by Michael Harris—Master of the Music
Peter Backhouse arrived at St Giles’ as Assistant Organist in 2000, having served for a peri-
od of twenty three years as Assistant Organist of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. His seven-
teen and a half years at St. Giles’ have now come to an end with his retirement. As many of
you will know, retirement was not something that Peter was planning at this stage, but
something which sadly was necessary due to a decline in his hearing. We will miss him in
so many ways.
The role of an Assistant Organist involves much work which is unseen, and Peter dedicated
himself to the hard work needed to create the music heard in worship and concerts. The
time involved is not just Sunday mornings, but all the
hours of practice, often at night or early in the morning
when the building is closed. Peter’s complete under-
standing of the Rieger organ, and his ability to create
such a wonderful palette of sound, is something which
has underpinned his work here, and which has been the rock on which the devel-
opment and success of the choral music has been built. His knowledge and sup-
port has been invaluable to me in creating the team of musicians that we have.
His contribution has been so much more than the playing however; he has dedi-
cated much time to making arrangements of hymns, both in terms of descants,
and for when we have used brass instruments, and a good number of his carol
arrangements have become part of our repertoire. He has also found time to
edit the prose psalm settings we use.
Peter has two great hobbies, steam railways, and photography. Many is the time he has slipped out between re-
hearsal and service on a Sunday morning to see a steam locomotive at Waverley, and he will continue to spend
many happy hours as a signalman on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway (see picture). In St Giles’ his generosity with
his time and photography skills has been seen in the many post-
cards, book and website illustrations.
Peter has been an unflappable colleague, more than happy to turn
his hand to any sort of accompanying requirement, and has not
been fazed by some of the more unusual situations he has found
himself in. On one memorable occasion when the power failed in
St Giles’ just as a wedding was about to begin, he seamlessly
moved to the piano, and we ended the wedding with a performance
of Widor’s Toccata for four hands by candlelight!
Whilst Peter says farewell to the organ bench he will still be around, continuing to teach at the University of Edin-
burgh and St Mary’s Music School. We offer him our heartfelt thanks for all he has done for St Giles’, and wish him
and his wife Anne well for the future.
Peter Backhouse
Page 7
Tom Foggo
A reception was held in the Cathedral on Thursday, 14 December to say farewell to
Tom Foggo, Head Beadle, and to Peter Backhouse, Assistant Organist, as they
moved towards retirement and hopefully to less strenuous responsibilities.
Michael Harris, as Master of the Music has separately (Page 6) paid warm tribute to
Peter and this article is therefore specifically dedicated to the exceptional service
given to us by Tom.
Tom came to St Giles’ following a distinguished and varied career, mainly with the
Bank of Scotland, where he held senior positions within what we would now gener-
ally call facilities management. This largely involved the manufacture of credit
cards together with responsibility for sourcing and buying a wide range of printed
matter, stationery, office equipment and promotional items. Indeed a very useful
set of skills for a Beadle!
Initially, Tom worked under the guidance of Danny Watson until Danny’s retirement, at which point he was then appoint-
ed as Head Beadle.
All, who know Tom, have very greatly appreciated his constant friendship, guidance and support—always ready to help
and go that extra mile when needed. His extensive knowledge of how things should be done properly was available, yet
never imposed on those who felt they knew better! He was a pleasure to work with and always appreciated the efforts
of those who simply wanted to work with him. ’Yes’, he was the Head Beadle but to most of us he was also our friend
and we will miss him.
Tom has been married to Valerie since 1975 and has five sons and five grandchildren. His hobbies, as he moves into
retirement, include gardening, reading, walking and motor cycling— involving the ownership of no less than five bikes.
Although ‘officially’ moving into retirement, it is very pleasing to report that Tom has agreed to return to ‘beadle duties’
on a part-time basis when needed.
Tom has been replaced by David Hall who has been appointed as Head Beadle. And we welcome Tom’s son, Alan Foggo
who has now been appointed as a new Beadle. Alan’s appointment was based entirely upon his own merits as he was
just one of seven who applied for the position.
We wish Tom and Valerie great happiness and good health in their retirement. We also congratulate David Hall on his
promotion as Head Beadle.
Family matters—continued
Volunteer Guiding in St Giles’
An invitation to help from Stephen Preston, Acting Head of Heritage & Culture
The Heritage and Culture Department would greatly welcome support from members of the con-
gregation to act as volunteer guides.
The role undertaken by volunteer guides is crucially important as a means of welcoming the
many visitors to the Cathedral throughout the week and thereby helping to generate much need-
ed funds.
This valued support is also a very tangible way by which members of the congregation can share their knowledge and
pride in St Giles’ with the many visitors who are keenly interested in learning all about its history and the highly active
role it plays in the life of the nation and the work undertaken by its members in support of the community.
The volunteering role is all about welcoming and chatting to visitors for about two hours per week. We already have
all the briefing information that might be needed – so please don’t be daunted by the thought that you might not know
enough in order to help.
If you would like more information, please email the Heritage & Culture Department at [email protected] or
pop into our office in the Cathedral. We would very much like to hear from you.
Stephen Preston
Page 8
Our Shop
An article by Irina Vettraino– Shop Manager
I’m delighted to have this opportunity to write a few words about the shop in this
issue.
As a lot of you might know the shop was established to help to bring money into
the Cathedral as all profits from the sales go into the Cathedral’s funds. The shop
is run mainly by volunteers although we do employ a few part-time paid members
of staff to run it at weekends.
You can’t overestimate the effort volunteers and paid staff put into keeping the
shop going. Being the front faces, and as representatives of the St Giles’ Cathedral to the public, they carry this
great responsibility with honour and grace. Apart from serving the customers they have to deal with all kind of non-
shop-relating issues and questions. And they are very competent in doing.so.
The goods in the shop are a mixture of souvenirs, religious items and bespoke products, containing either images of
the Cathedral or reflecting some of its features. Situated on the Royal Mile, the shop must keep up with numerous
competing shops on the street, selling souvenirs. I think we have so far managed to keep our competitive prices and
remain different from every other souvenir shop on the High Street.
Being part of a religious establishment puts us in a position where we have to think about selling
goods that are fairly sympathetic to the church. Also, as we are now the only shop selling religious
goods in Edinburgh, we use this opportunity to sell items attractive to other denominations and
faiths, such as rosaries and icons. Indeed, we have successfully created a good name for our-
selves amongst the locals, many of whom regularly visit to check our stock or buy something spe-
cific they have seen only in our shop.
We are not strangers to modern technology. Along with selling goods off the counter, we deal with
orders by email and send our products all over the world. These are ways of bringing some extra
money to the shop.
And of course we change our stock according to the season, so we have a variety of Christmas decorations usually
available in the shop before and during festive period and then some Easter decorations in the spring.
Using this opportunity, I would like to thank all staff and volunteers especially for their hard work and dedication to
the shop. It wouldn’t be here without your tremendous help.
We manage the shop with fewer volunteers than it should have. Indeed quite a few of them do more than one shift
to cover the gaps. So if any of you would like to help in the shop we will be grateful for your help.
John Knox’s ‘Will’
Our Archivist Kevin Hall came across something that seemed impossible—and then solved the problem!
This is an extract from the Testamentare Inventare of John Knox,
who was Minister of St Giles’ until his death in November 1572.
Despite the fact that this document was written by his representa-
tives well after the death of John Knox, it is nonetheless dated 13th
January 1572 — see date on the left hand side of the script. This
situation seemed impossible until our Archivist clarified the mys-
tery by providing the following explanation.
“Until 1600, Scotland used the Julian calendar, and the start of the
civic and legal ‘New Year’ was March 26th. Thus, although the Tes-
tamentare Inventare was drafted after Knox’s death, this drafting
took place on the date we would now state as 13th January 1572.”
Kevin states that we must be careful when reading late medieval
or early modern texts!
Irina Vettraino
Page 9
News from the Session
A NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM THE SESSION CLERK
First of all, on behalf of the whole Kirk Session, may I wish all of you a very happy and
peaceful New Year.
I believe that the very busy services over Christmas show why St Giles’ continues to have
an important place in the Community and this is a responsibility that is in the minds of the
Session in all that we do.
Looming over everything at the moment is the question of money and how we can continue
and enhance the work that we do when our budget is so tight. To help us resolve this co-
nundrum, the Session has established a Financial Infrastructure Task Group. It’s my privilege to convene this
and the other members are the Minister, Kate Dewar, Sandy Finlayson, Callum Fisken, Hugh MacDougall and
Anne Whiteford. We’re looking at several things including how, working closely with our splendid Heritage and
Culture Team and volunteers, we might boost the income per visitor from its current level of around 12
pence; we’re exploring how we could work more closely with the Church of Scotland to meet their require-
ments but in ways which recognise the very particular Ministry offered by the Cathedral - with its daily ser-
vices and its mission with the city centre community and our many, many visitors; we’re looking at whether
we could get more commercial in our approach to third parties who make use of the Cathedral building; and
we’re exploring whether the legal basis on which we operate is necessarily the most effective one for manag-
ing the kind of church that we are.
There are some hard questions buried in this but we’ve got off to a good start and I’m very confident that we
can find a way forward that will fully respect St Giles’ as an ancient and important place of worship and at the
same time place us on a sound footing to serve future generations.
Mark Batho
The Poor of the Parish Fund
In the late autumn of each year, the Cathedral’s Treasurer invites the Neighbourhood Group to submit recommendations
to the Session as to how it might allocate the annual income earned by the investments held by the Poor of the Parish
Fund. The amount involved is usually £5,000.
In response, the Neighbourhood Group establishes a small finance sub-committee to create a list of recommendations.
This simple process ensures that the overall charitable support provided by St Giles’ is fairly and appropriately balanced.
The list of beneficiaries, as submitted by the Neighbourhood Group and supported by the Session, was as follows:
• The Edinburgh Clothing Store £1500
• The Edinburgh Youth Café (6VT) £1500
• Cunningham House Hostel for the Homeless £1000
• CrossReach Counselling, Granton £1000
As is now normal practice, the recipient organisations are invited to let us know how they would choose to use the funds
in a way that would produce a real and tangible benefit that would not otherwise have been possible if such funds had
not been available. Given that the cheques have been distributed only very recently, we now await confirmation of how
the funds will be spent…….and the Neighbourhood Group will report further in the next edition of the St Giles’ News.
Page 10
News from the Session—continued
Looking after St Giles’ in 2018
The General Committee has continued to progress the management and maintenance of
the fabric of the Cathedral on behalf of the Kirk Session and the congregation. This con-
tinues to provide challenges to ensure that we are able to develop improvements to the
facilities in the Cathedral while continuing to respect this historic and sacred place of wor-
ship.
In my last article I reported on works to the exterior and interior of the building and I am
pleased to report these have both been successfully completed.
The exterior works involved the replacement of a large piece of carved stone to the cor-
nice on South East elevation of the building. This required scaffolding to access the South roof area, the removal of
the weather damaged stone and the replacement with a newly carved replacement. This type of work was required
partly due to the complex construction history of the building and is something that will be kept under regular re-
view. The interior works involved the removal of the damaged tiled area in the Preston Aisle and the replacement
with an epoxy material to provide a safe and secure surface to this area. A small repair was also undertaken at the
entrance to the Chepman Aisle. Both these successfully completed repairs ensure that the integrity of the building
is maintained for the longer term.
Further works have also recently been undertaken to the under-used lower shop area to provide a new office space
for the Finance Office Team.
The Committee is now investigating future plans that include the provision of additional storage space and the res-
toration of the external doors.
The Committee has welcomed new members, Anne Whiteford, Catriona Findlayson, Simon
Bolam and Mike Towers to our meetings and thanks Victor Ashton for his service on the com-
mittee over the past few years.
Further updates on the work of the Committee and progress during 2018 will be included in
future issues of the Newsletter.
John M Andrew
Convenor of the General Committee
John Andrew
Hogmanay Service in St Giles –1902
A contribution submitted by our Archivist—Kevin Hall
On January 2nd, 1902, the ‘Scotsman’ reported that the congregation of St Giles’ had enjoyed a watchnight ser-
vice on Hogmanay, and that “several thousand persons” had been in attendance (surely a somewhat hyperbolic
assessment?). The Rev Dr Cameron Lees officiated, assisted by Rev. A.R Yeoman who read the scripture lessons. The service included
the 100th Psalm, “Oh God our help in ages past” and the universally popular “Rock of Ages”. The congregation’s singing was no doubt
far preferable to the noise outside, as the ‘Scotsman’ had said that “the High Street was discordant with the din of melodeons, toy trum-
pets, and the bawling of noisy revellers”. Nothing much changes there, we may think. But as the bells rang out to herald the arrival of
1902, the world was changing, and the sermon delivered by Rev. Dr Cameron Lees reflected upon that.
He spoke of the losses suffered by the nation and our worshipping community in the conflict still raging in South Africa, and asked that
God may grant a speedy and honourable peace, and that the war “would leave behind as few scars as possible”. 1901 had been a year
of grief and sorrow on both sides of the Atlantic, he said, with Britain experiencing an
“outburst of national sorrow caused by the death of the beloved Queen Victoria” and the
United States feeling similarly following the assassination of the president, William
McKinley. After speaking on the shared feelings of loss and bereavement, Rev Dr Lees
urged the congregation “to enter upon the new year with faith and confidence in God,
with resolution to live a better life, at peace and in charity towards all men”. Surely, as
relevant today as it was then. Then, as Rev Dr Lees concluded his sermon “midnight
chimed in the belfry overhead, and the congregation engaged in silent prayer for several
minutes”.
Kevin Hall
Page 11
SCOTTISH EVENING
Grassmarket Centre—Friday, 27 October
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
The Neighbourhood Group would like to thank all those who participated in our Scottish Evening in the Grassmarket Centre on Fri-day 27 October. The genial atmosphere and the quality of the entertainment provided by members of the choir and other friends were key features of a most enjoyable evening.
All participants contributed generously to the fund-raising activities. The event raised some £1,622 in support of the Cathedral’s funds to be distributed to local charities. ……..and there were even requests for a repeat event in 2018!!
Ed.—For those who were unable to attend this event, it is difficult to describe the wonderful feeling of goodwill
and fellowship, which was present in such abundance on the evening. It was for many of us, who were able to
be present, a hugely successful and enjoyable evening—which was only spoilt when time ran out and we had
to go home.
Inevitably there were lots of cameras present and the following represents some of the many pictures that
were taken.
Page 12
Who was St Giles ?
An article prepared by Maurice Jordon who, as one of our Volunteer Guides, is frequently asked this question
It was the Thursday morning after All Saints day (1 November) and I was in St Giles’ sitting at the
Welcome Desk selling photo permits and answering the usual questions of ‘where are the toilets?’
and ‘what denomination is this church?’. I was then approached by a visitor who asked a very
simple question, “Who was St Giles?”
I responded with ‘would you like a short answer or a long one’ and was delighted with the re-
sponse of ‘please tell us as much as you can?’.
So who was the man that became the Patron Saint of Edinburgh as well as lepers, the lame and
nursing mothers.
Legend has it that he was Greek, originally called Aegidius, the son of the King of Athens, born
around 650. Not much is known of his life at the court of Athens except he was known for his pie-
ty and learning. It is reputed he gave a cloak of his to a leper who was miraculously healed. From
then on he was regarded as a healer and his fame spread rapidly. He found the attention he re-
ceived to be too great for him and, dreading the praise and attention that he received, he left the
city.
His story moves to the South of France where he retreated into the forest near to the mouth of the
Rhône to escape the attention that his fame as a healer had brought him. He thus became a her-
mit and it is said that his only companion was a Roe Deer who supplied him with milk. For food he
lived off the fruit and vegetables he found in the forest.
It is his affection for the deer that brought him his greatest fame and is probably the most told story about St Giles. One day
whilst out hunting, the local king, Wamba, spied a deer and set off in pursuit. When close enough, the king fired an arrow at the
deer, expecting to easily kill his prey when he was completely surprised and dismayed as a man calmly walked out in front of
the deer and the arrow, put out his hand and took the flying arrow into the back of his hand and thus protected his deer. The
man was Giles.
Wamba was so over awed by this feat that he had to meet Giles and talk to him. He was so impressed by the man that he of-
fered him wealth and position at his court. Giles refused but Wamba persisted until eventually Giles accepted a reward that
suited him. This was the establishment of an abbey now known as the Abbey of St Gilles du Gard although originally dedicated
to St Peter and St Paul with Giles as its Abbot.
Giles placed the new monastery under the Benedictine order and spent the remainder of his
life there, gaining a reputation for piety and miracles that spread far and wide.
One story that has persisted is that Giles was asked to conduct a mass to pardon the Holy Ro-
man Emperor Charlemagne’s sins. During the mass an angel placed a letter on the altar detail-
ing a sin that was so terrible that Charlemagne had never dared to confess it. The problem with
that story is that Giles died at least 30 years before Charlemagne was born.
Since becoming a saint, Giles has become very busy as patron saint of beggars, blacksmiths,
breast cancer, breast feeding, cancer patients, disabled people, Edinburgh, epilepsy, fear of
night, forests, hermits, horses, lepers, mental illness, outcast, poor people, rams, spur makers
and sterility.
Thanks to Dr Rosalind Marshall, Wikipedia and Undiscovered Scotland for help with this article.
Maurice Jordon (pictured left) is one of our volunteer visitor guides as well as a regular
attender at the 11.30 service.
When he is not at St Giles’ he likes to walk his cocker spaniel, Fala, play the piano and
tend to his garden in Craigleith.
Page 13
Neighbourhood News
Amazing support over the festive period!
An update by the Convener, Stuart Ritchie
Last December, ahead of the festive period, was prob-
ably one of the most significant months in the lifespan
of the Neighbourhood Group. But that was not neces-
sarily because of what we did ourselves. The reality is
that we very largely acted as facilitators who simply
conveyed the enormous generosity of so many people
connected with St Giles’ towards causes that really
deserved our support, particularly at Christmas and
during mid-winter.
Although we must never be complacent, nor ever for-
get those in serious need, the following articles at-
tempt to highlight the work undertaken in the name of
St Giles’; all combined with the genuine gratitude of
those who benefitted.
The reality is that we can only scratch at the surface
but, I know from the feedback received that the sup-
port from St Giles’ is greatly welcomed and does make
a tangible difference. So a huge ‘thank you’ on behalf
of the Neighbourhood Group for all the support, friend-
ship and encouragement received.
In addition to the above, I would like to highlight the
huge success of the Scottish Evening held at the
Grassmarket Centre on Friday, 27 October. Although
the event was part of a fundraising exercise, a signifi-
cant amount of effort went into creating this rather
unique ’evening’, as far as St Giles’ is concerned, into
a night of fun and fellowship. A separate article (Page
11) gives us all more details of the event: nonetheless,
I am keen to recognise and thank members of the
choir and others for providing the music, poetry and
entertainment—they were so professional and provid-
ed considerable enjoyment.
Neighbourhood Group elections
Our December 2017 meeting saw Stuart Ritchie con-
firmed in his second year as Convener. The Group
warmly thanked Victor Ashton and Helen Gardner who
had completed their terms of office as Secretary and
Treasurer respectively.
William Taylor and Simon Bolam were elected unani-
mously as Secretary and Treasurer respectively for
2018.
Christmas Can
Collections
This year was the Neighbourhood Group’s 12th annual involvement
in the Christmas can collections in the city centre. On Friday 22 and
Saturday 23 December we raised over £3,218 in support of Street-
work, a charity supporting the homeless with the strapline of
“Enabling A Life Off The Streets”. This was the second largest
amount ever collected
We also thank members of the congregation who donated individual-
ly, with an extra special “thank you” to the choir who gave us a very
generous donation.
In particular, we are supremely grateful to our few volunteers who
rattled the cans so effectively. However, we were short of volunteers
this year, and a very small group shouldered a big burden over the
two days. We will therefore be reviewing our involvement in the can
collections next year.
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
BUT NEXT YEAR WE WILL NEED MORE CAN-RATTLERS!
About Streetwork
(an article submitted by Hugh Hill, Director of Services & Development)
Enabling a life off the Streets, that's what Streetwork do. It sounds sim-
ple but in reality it's far from it.
Being homeless or living on the Street doesn't just happen. It's more
often a consequence of a series of events, trauma, misfortunes and
personal challenges, mostly bad.
Our staff and volunteers work every day to find, connect and create
solutions for people to get off the street and into somewhere safe be-
cause being on the street is far from safe with an average life expec-
tancy of 45, high risk of assault and theft and even 3 times more likely
to be in a road traffic collision.
There's nothing good about being on the Street.
Through our Street Team and our Crisis Centre we provide shelter, es-
sential items like food and showers, clothes, comfort and help in find-
ing a safe place to live.
We work with people who have nothing but the clothes they stand in,
and sometimes they've been in those same clothes for some time.
The women we support often go without underwear or sanitary prod-
ucts, one meal a day is common place, access to health services is
challenging and money is in short supply leading to begging or worse.
We do what we do because we care and bring our compassion to work
every day but we can't do it alone and we're reliant on donations, volun-
teers and support to reach out to those people who need it most.
Thank you for being one of those people and for helping us to help oth-
ers.
Page 14
Neighbourhood News—Continued
REFUGEE WELCOMING PROJECT
As St Giles’ does not have a hall, unfortunately, we cannot bring groups of refugees together and welcome
them in our midst. However, both The Welcoming and City of Sanctuary have made requests to which we have
been able to respond in a positive manner.
With winter and cold weather, several items have been in great need, such as slipper socks, hot water bottles
and warm throws for sofas and beds. With the funds made available to the Refugee Project and, with the very
positive help of Suzanne in the Finance Department, 50 throws were purchased and then delivered to the City
of Sanctuary. A similar number of slipper socks and hot water bottles were also purchased and delivered to
both The Welcoming and to City of Sanctuary. All these items were much appreciated and we hope will help
those in need over the cold winter.
According to those who work with the refugees, although the first bus tour of the city organised by us was
much appreciated and enjoyed, there is no demand at present for another tour. Perhaps when the weather
improves in the spring it might be possible to take another group on tour.
In the meantime, it is a matter of keeping in regular touch with these two organisations in Edinburgh and sup-
plying what we can from the funds at our disposal. Although in April, David Bradwell, who, on behalf of the
Church of Scotland, deals with refugees all over Scotland, wishes to discuss another project in which mem-
bers from St Giles’ may be able to help. So watch this space for further news!
Fiona Graham
Convener, Refugee Project
Refugee Project & funding
As the work undertaken by the Neighbourhood Group continues to expand, it became important that the con-
gregation and other supporters should be able to distinguish between the individual causes that they wished
to support and, from the operational side, to ensure that their preferences were easily understood.
If this sounds a bit bureaucratic, then let us explain further.
Through the considerable generosity of our many friends, a large quantity of goods are delivered to St Giles’, or
indeed collected from homes. These are then transported by us to the charities involved— Foodbank, Edin-
burgh Clothing Store, FreshStart, Cunningham House and Refugee Support.
Traditionally St Giles’ has strongly supported FreshStart and the Edinburgh Clothing Store. The former requir-
ing a wide range of household goods and appliances, with the latter wanting clothes and associated wearing
apparel. Both charities work closely in support of refugees.
Nonetheless the work being undertaken by the Refugee Welcoming Project is of equal importance and they
are also seeking a wide range of goods which very much overlap with the needs of FreshStart and The Edin-
burgh Clothing Store.
As a result, to prevent overlaps and confusion, the Neighbourhood Group has agreed to supply funding, from
the money held in its Charitable Account, to enable the Refugee Project to buy goods in accordance with the
requests received from such organisations as The Welcoming and the City of Sanctuary. This agreement
means that the relevant goods handed into St Giles’ will continue to be delivered to FreshStart and the Cloth-
ing Store and that requests for goods, required to support the Refugee Project, will be purchased rather than
being solicited from the congregation in direct competition with the other ‘supported’ charities.
And finally a small plea. To assist with distribution, which at times can involve a lot of work, it would be helpful
if parcels and packages, delivered to St Giles’ could be labelled with the name of the ‘cause’ to which they
should delivered.
City of Sanctuary
Page 15
Christian Aid
In 2017, St Giles raised around £1,600 for Christian Aid, ris-
ing to around £1,850, after accounting for Gift Aid. The ma-
jority of this comes from retiring collections taken during
Christian Aid week and at Harvest Festival.
During Christian Aid week, a small group of volunteers also
take part in a house to house collection. Due to the complexi-
ties of trying to do this within our own parish (too many com-
mercial properties and tenement flats with all of the rented
property and access challenges that this brings), the door-to-
door collection is undertaken around Duddingston in an area
not covered by the local churches there.
We are also indebted to those that regularly pop their loose
change into an empty water bottle, jar, or collecting box and
who periodically bring them to the church for collection.
In previous years, we have run a fundraising “music mara-
thon” and “harvest lunches”. Due to the effort involved in
running these events and the fact that we tend to be drawing
on the same group of people each time to organise, attend
and fund such events, however, it was not possible to repeat
these in 2017.
A visit to the Christian Aid website at https://
www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved-locally/scotland will
show what a wide range of events Christian Aid and other
churches are involved in supporting. If you would like to be-
come part of a partnership of people, churches and local or-
ganisations committed to ending poverty worldwide, please go
to the website or get in touch with Duncan Watson.
ADVENT APPEAL
1.25 Tonnes!
This has been the third Advent Appeal in
St Giles’ - and the most successful so far.
To date, one and a quarter tonnes of food
have resulted from the generous re-
sponse of the congregation, choir and many friends of St
Giles’.
On each of the four Sundays, many bags of food have been
left in the Church, to be picked up and transported to the
Trussell Trust warehouse on Broomhouse Road. There, vol-
unteers, including one from our own congregation, receive,
weigh and allocate the food to crates for ‘Single Person’,
‘Couple’, ‘Family’, ’Large Family’. In due course, these are
delivered to foodbanks in the city.
As well as actual contributions of food, there have been gen-
erous financial donations, most of them gift-aided. These
have enabled the bulk-buying of food, especially particular
items currently in short supply in the warehouse. For exam-
ple, a quarter of a tonne of concentrated fruit juice—a vital
component for allocation to foodbank crates - derived from
one of these donations.
It has been very gratifying to see the way members of the
congregation have responded to this appeal for help. Peo-
ple have put a great deal of thought into providing foods
that might be most necessary and most welcome to others
less fortunate. Carrying in such gifts and leaving them qui-
etly and anonymously within the church can surely be seen
as an act of witness. Equally, contributing financially to help
those in need offers a challenging refusal to accept that
everything is so hopeless that nothing can be done to make
amends in a broken world.
Neighbourhood News—continued
Editor’s Note
Duncan (pictured right) manages the
Cathedral’s relationship with Chris-
tian Aid. He was very recently
ordained as an Elder and serves on
the Session. Duncan’s contact de-
tails are outlined on Page 20.
Dates for your diaries
Sunday 28 January—St Giles’ at Six Concert with the Kevock Choir
The 28th of January marks Homeless Sunday. We are really pleased to welcome the Kevock Choir who gave us a very enjoyable
concert last year and will be with us again for a St Giles’ at Six concert on the 28th. Admission is free, but with the kind permission
of the Master of the Music, we will be raising funds through a retiral collection for the Rock Trust. This organisation was estab-
lished in 1991 to work with young people between 16 and 25 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This includes
young people who are in transitions, leaving care or home and those involved in offending, alcohol or drug misuse. We hope many
of you will come along for an enjoyable evening in support of a worthy cause.
Friday 23 March- Southside Choir
We are delighted to announce that the Southside Choir has agreed to return to St Giles’ and sing at a charity concert to help us
raise funds to support our charitable objectives. Admission will be free but donations, by means of a retiring collection, will be
most welcome. The Southside Choir describe themselves as a mixed voice community choir of about sixty people - a diverse group
from a wide age range. They sing a wide range of songs and hold two main concerts each year in December and in June. Over the
last few years, through concert donations, ticket sales and member subscriptions the Choir has donated to a wide range of chari-
ties. We are hopeful of a large audience with deep pockets!!
Page 16
Article contributed by Duncan Watson
On the 26th of October, a group of five people from the Neighbourhood Group
took part in the first of their bi-annual outings to the Bethany Care Shelters. These are run every night from the
start of October through to the end of April. Each night a local church agrees to play host to up to 65 homeless
people where they can get a hot meal, shelter from the cold and a basic breakfast the following morning. Our
role was to provide the meal – on this occasion pasta bolognaise and our, now signature dish, St Giles’ trifle.
All of the food is bought by the Neighbourhood Group beforehand, transported to the venue, in this case St
Cuthbert’s, and prepared fresh on the evening. For those of you that have just served up Christmas dinner for
an extended family, imagine trying that where the extended family numbers around 50 people.
The people that use this service often find themselves homeless through relationship
breakdown, or where they are asked to leave the family home. Drug and alcohol
abuse often complicate this situation. While people attending the centres are not al-
lowed to use drugs or consume alcohol on the premises, nobody suffering as a result
of using these is ever refused entry.
For those with a head for statistics, the 2016 /17 Care Shelters ran for 28 weeks, pro-
vided 9,565 meals to 700 individuals at 25 different venues and were catered for by
groups from 72 different churches. These are impressive figures.
Across Edinburgh, however, there are still over 3,300 people that are registered as
homeless. Around 46% of these are single men. There is still much more to be done.
It costs round £1,000 per night for Bethany to organise, staff and run the Care Shel-
ter. This year funding from Social Bite and the Scottish Government will enable
Bethany to increase the capacity of the Care Shelter to a maximum of 75 people per
night for the 2018 part of the season. This will hopefully mean that no one will need
to be turned away this winter, as has happened in the past.
If you would like to take part in a Care Shelter evening, please contact Duncan Wat-
son (contact details—see page 20). We would particularly welcome people whose
driving license allows them to drive a mini bus, or those that would be interested in
leading one of the catering teams.
Neighbourhood Group—continued
Bethany Care Shelter
St Cuthert’s Parish Church
Christmas Gifts to Cunningham House in the Cowgate
As with the Advent Appeal, the generosity of all those who donated Christmas presents for the residents of
Cunningham House was truly awesome. Not only did the number of gifts exceed anything previously experi-
enced in the memory of the Neighbourhood Group, but it was also very obvious that many had gone to consid-
erable trouble to identify items of real value to people living in a ‘homeless’ hostel with very little in the way of
possessions apart from what they are wearing.
The delivery of all these gifts took place just before Christmas and involved three journeys to transfer them all from St Giles’ to
Cunningham House. Needless to say the staff and residents were very keen that their grateful thanks were conveyed to all
who so generously donated items. It is also important to mention that some of the goods, over and above those donated to the
current residents at Christmas time, are stored for distribution at later points
in support of new arrivals.
Page 17
MEMORIAL WINDOW TO ROBERT BURNS
Despite St Giles’ foundation date of 1124, it was not until
during the Chambers restoration of the cathedral in the
1870s that the present stained glass windows began to be
installed and as recently as 1985 the West Window was de-
signed as a memorial to Robert Burns by the internationally
renowned Icelandic artist, Leifer Breidfjord, who had studied
at the Edinburgh College of Art and Professor David Daiches
was approached regarding the text.
For many years Burns Clubs had proposed, indeed, almost
campaigned, for a memorial to Scotland’s national bard in the Cathedral. But this had been
refused as it was considered inappropriate to commemorate Burns in such a place.
Undeterred the Burns Federation approached the Reverend Gilleasbuig Macmillan, then
Minister of St Giles’, and he very positively agreed to their request. The deterioration of the
west window provided an opportunity for something new to be installed and, much to the
surprise and delight of the Burns Federation, an appeal for £25,000 was launched.
Despite objections, from such as the Edinburgh Presbytery of the Free Church, the Minister
said that the window would be recognition of both the forgiving acceptance of people’s
faults, as well as their virtues, and the tremendous need for the Church to recognise the
importance of art.
For Burns, poetry was in his soul and he wrote much of his early work as he toiled in the
fields.
During the 1780s, after the death of his father in 1784, he entered an especially creative
period and in 1786 his first volume of poems was published: Poems Chiefly in the Scottish
Dialect. Writing in both Scots and English his poems were the language of the heart and of humanity. He wrote about people ‘Holy Willie’s
Prayer’, ‘Tam o’ Shanter’, The Cotter’s Saturday Night’; he wrote about creatures, ‘To a Mouse’, and things, ‘Address to the Haggis’.
This volume of poems was such a success that he abandoned the notion of emigrating to Jamaica and, instead moved to Edinburgh, where he
became a pioneer of the romantic movement in literature. While there he wrote ‘Ae Fond Kiss’, probably one of his most famous songs dedicat-
ed to Nancy Mclehose. And a new edition of his poems was published by William Creech, a well-known and successful publisher of the time. In
1788 he wrote his famous narrative verse, ‘Tam o’ Shanter’ and contributed to two collections of Scots songs: Scots Musical Museum, and A
Select Collection of Scottish Airs.
However, as Burns himself wrote on another occasion: ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley’, and a difficult period ensued.
Having been offered the tenancy of a farm in Dumfriesshire which turned out to be a failure, he had to accept the offer of a post as an excise-
man. By this time he had married Jean Armour and had a family and they all moved to the town of Dumfries in 1791.Increasing ill health trou-
bled Burns for the next, and last, five years of his life.
The design of the west window encompasses themes central to both Robert Burns and to Christianity.
The lower 5 panels highlight the natural world – in Burns’ words:
‘Again rejoicing nature sees
Her role assume its vernal lines:
Her leafy locks wave in the breeze,
All freshly steep’d in morning dews.’
The upper 5 celebrate the ‘human community and the brotherhood of man’.
‘It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That man to man the world o’er
Shall brothers be for a’ that.’
The central section has a tracery symbolic of the ‘supremacy of love’ – which is at the heart of Christianity – with a burst of sunlight and as a
reminder of Burns’ poem
‘O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;’
The lower 5 panels are green symbolising nature while the upper 5 are red, purple, red and pink, with the tracery yellow and orange. Almost
like all the colours of the rainbow.
Each year on 25 January, we celebrate the memory of our National Bard, Robert Burns, but what do most of us actually know about
the history behind the creation of the substantial Burns Memorial Window situated above the entrance door at the West End of the
Cathedral? Very fortunately Fiona Graham willingly agreed to find out some answers for us and has submitted the following article for
the St Giles’ News. Thank you Fiona.
Picture by Peter Backhouse
Fiona Graham
Page 18
An article written by Stephen Preston—Acting Head of the Heritage & Culture Department
The Tower and Clock Faces
The tower of St Giles’ has changed many times since
its foundation. It is thought that the fourteenth centu-
ry gothic building would have been a rather stubby
arrangement, not dissimilar to Dalmeny Kirk. As with
all great buildings expansion was ever-present, and so
by the turn of the fifteenth century, St Giles’ proximity
to the heavens was reduced. The distinctive crown
spire watched over Edinburgh for the first time. And
for the most part watching would be its main pastime.
However, there were flurries of activity. During the
Lang Siege it was briefly fortified by Sir William Kirk-
caldy of Grange, swiftly followed by a Cromwellian
facelift due to the sagging buttresses with the aim of
using the tower as a watchtower. It also played host to
many sets of musical bells, the last of which
(unflatteringly referred to as the ‘meat-safe’) were
removed by 1930.
To the modern day viewer, perhaps the most curious
omission to the tower is a clock face. St Giles’ has
had a clock mechanism since the sixteenth century at
which point, 2 faces were present. It is only latterly
some numbers and hands have proven elusive. Even
in 1721 when a new clock mechanism was fitted
(with some controversy as it was a mechanism from
as far south as London!) all three clock faces - a third
had been added in the mid seventeenth century to
serve the expanding south section of the city - were
ticking away quite happily.
So, the clock faces of St Giles’ stubbornly told the
time for 200 years. However, when in 1911 a replace-
ment mechanism was offered by James Ritchie, the
Edinburgh watchmaker and clockmaker, whose firm
still maintains the clock mechanism to this day, they
did not offer to replace the clock faces. In fact, James
Richie went further, by saying that the clock faces
were ‘an ugly disfigurement on the tower’.
So, although the faces were removed, St Giles’ contin-
ues to ‘chime’ the time at the hours and the quarters
by the continued use of the three bells that remained
in the steeple when the replacement mechanism was
installed in 1911. These bells consist of the Great
Bell, recast at Whitechapel Foundry in 1846, and a
further two smaller bells dating from 1706 and 1728.
It is thought that the Great Bell contains metal from
its medieval predecessor.
The clock faces, with the clock mechanism, as was
replaced in 1911, are currently retained by the City of
Edinburgh Council at its storage facility in Broughton
Market.
A ‘thank you’ from Bethany
In recent years St Giles’ has strongly supported the work undertaken by
the Bethany Christian Trust in support of their Care Shelters.—see arti-
cle on Page 16. Just before Christmas, the Neighbourhood Group sent
a cheque to Bethany from its charitable funds. The following reply was
received by Stuart Ritchie, Convener of the Neighbourhood Group.
Dear Stuart,
Thank you so much for the cheque for £1200 for the Care Shelter from St Giles’
Neighbourhood Group. We were delighted that you chose to support the Care
Shelter again this winter. At the half-way point of the Care Shelter season on
Sunday past, we had welcomed 433 different individuals through the door and
provided 4078 bed spaces. Thanks to the generosity of groups such as your-
selves we are able to provide this service which is preventing people from being
out on the streets in Edinburgh on these cold winter nights. Without a doubt,
lives are being saved. As suggested previously, this money will go towards fund-
ing staff costs. We currently have four staff members on all night and one per-
son there from 8pm till midnight. This allows us to safely accommodate a maxi-
mum of 75 people per night. As well as making sure everyone is safe through-
out the night, the staff seek to have conversations with people, provide advice
and a listening ear when appropriate and find solutions to people’s situations. A
big part of the job is welcoming people in and being a friendly face to people in
the midst of their crisis.
I hope this is useful information for your newsletter.
Thank you again.
Kind regards,
Ruth
Ruth Longmuir
Care Van and Care Shelter Manager
Page 19
St Giles’ Cathedral
The High Kirk of Edinburgh
Parish Boundary
The subject of the extent of our Parish Boundary within the Old Town crops up quite frequently with no one seemly
knowing the exact answer.
As a result, our Archivist, Kevin Hall decided that he would visit the New College Library and do some investigative re-
search.
Kevin has since reported that the answer is contained in the Presbytery of Edinburgh ‘Boundaries’ book, last updated in
1962, which outlines our Parish Boundary in the following terms.
So now we know. From Presbytery figures it is estimated that within our small boundary there are some 918 house-
holds and a population of 1,856. However, as far as we are concerned, only three members of the Congregation have
the distinct position of actually living within the Parish—one in Advocate’s Close and two in Blackfriars Street. It is there-
fore not surprising that St Giles’ has been defined as having a ‘gathered city centre congregation’.
“High (St Giles’) – From a point of the railway opposite the eastern boundary of
the Bank of Scotland, the boundary proceeds southwards along the said bounda-
ry to St Giles’ Street and then along the centre line of Bank Street and George IV
Bridge to the centre of Cowgate to St Mary’s Street, thence northwards along the
centre line of St Mary’s Street and straight to the centre of the main railway line
in Waverley Station, thence westwards along the central line of the said Railway
line to the starting point.”
Please remember the benefits of Gift Aid
a reminder on behalf of John Robertson- our hardworking Treasurer
As many people will be aware, since St Giles’ is a charity, if gifts are made by a UK taxpayer under the Gift Aid
scheme, we can recover from HMRC an amount equal to 25% of the amount given. Many members and friends
of St Giles’ give on this basis. If you do not already do so, our Finance Office staff would be happy to supply the
necessary forms. In general, I would be happy to discuss with any members or friends ways in which gifts can be
made to maximise the benefit to St Giles’. For contact details see Page 20.
Page 20
Contact Details.
*Minister:
Rev Calum I MacLeod [email protected]
*Assistant Ministers
Rev Helen Alexander [email protected]
Rev Craig Meek [email protected]
*Session Clerk
Mark Batho [email protected]
*Treasurer
John P Robertson [email protected]
*General Committee Convener
John Andrew [email protected]
*Presbytery Elder
Gary Winney [email protected]
*Minister’s Secretary
Alison Wylie [email protected]
*Organists
Michael Harris: Master of the Music [email protected]
Jordan English: Assistant Organist [email protected]
* Phone 0131 225 4363
Beadles 0131 226 0672
David Hall [email protected]
Neighbourhood Group
Stuart Ritchie: Convener [email protected]
Victor Ashton: Secretary [email protected]
Helen Gardner: Treasurer [email protected]
Christian Aid: Duncan Watson [email protected]
Edinburgh Clothing Store: Jean Ferris 0131 332 5584
Foodbank: Victor Ashton [email protected]
FreshStart: Carole Hope [email protected]
Refugee Welcoming Project: Fiona Graham [email protected]
Heritage and Cultural Department 0131 226 0674
Fiona Murray: Joint Acting Head [email protected]
Stephen Preston: Joint Acting Head [email protected]
Andrew Barr: Marketing and Communications [email protected]
Archivist and Palaeographer 0131 225 4363
Kevin Hall [email protected]
Shop 0131 226 0673
Irina Vettraino: Manager [email protected]
Editor 07850 790051
Simon Bolam [email protected]
Cathedral’s Address
St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1RE
0131 225 4363 www.stgilescathedral.org.uk