'At risk' historic 200-year-old Edinburgh churches win 'generous' funds for urgent repairs

The two churches receiving grant funding in Edinburgh for urgent repairs include St Mary’s Cathedral on York Place

Two of Edinburgh’s historic churches have been awarded urgent repair grants in a bid to preserve more than 400 years of religious and cultural heritage.

St Mary’s Cathedral on York Place and St Margaret’s Chapel at the Gillis Centre in Newington are among the latest beneficiaries of emergency funding from the National Churches Trust, with the buildings receiving a share of £584,081 allocated to struggling churches across the UK.

St Mary's Cathedral on York Place | Google Maps

Both buildings will receive £10,000 each to carry out crucial roof and masonry repairs, aimed at preventing further structural decline.

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be able to support St Margaret’s Chapel. Not only will this protect the important heritage, but it will help to keep the building open and help bring St Margaret’s chapel closer in their vision to attract more visitors.”

St Margaret’s Chapel - a category A-listed building and designed by renowned architect James Gillespie Graham - has suffered severe water damage due to a failing roof and cracked exterior stonework. Volunteers regularly inspect the building for falling debris.

Opened in 1825, the chapel holds significant works of heritage, including stained glass windows and a decorated high alter. Situated within the Gillis Centre, a site with history dating back to the 15th century, the chapel’s restoration is seen as the first step in a wider plan to increase accessibility to the public.

The trust said the chapel had been used to accommodate victims of the Black Plague in 1585, and in 1591 the-then owner had been tried and burned for witchcraft.

The grant has been welcomed by Archbishop Leo Cushley, of St Andrews and Edinburgh, who said the repairs would “protect the building’s structural integrity and provide peace of mind to the visitors and staff who use the chapel.”

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Meanwhile, St Mary’s Cathedral - a category B-listed church opened in 1814 - is facing similar problems, with parts of its roof and plaster ceilings collapsing due to persistent water damage. The funding will help replace faulty slates and leaking leadwork before more serious damage occurs.

Monsignor Jeremy Milne, of St Mary’s Cathedral, said: “Without urgent repairs, the safety of the building and its visitors would be at risk, so the generous £10,000 grant from the National Churches Trust is most welcome.”

He added: “The cathedral is home to the national shrine of St Andrew and is a big draw for domestic and international tourists. So, we are delighted that this grant will help ensure we remain open.”

Tourism is a vital part of Edinburgh’s economy, with heritage cited as a major draw for 78 per cent of international visitors in a recent Visit Britain survey. Both churches hope the repairs will allow them to play a larger role in that landscape.

However, the National Churches Trust claimed changes to the government’s listed places of worship grants scheme had left the future of church preservation uncertain, with a new £25,000 cap making church repairs up to 20 per cent more expensive.

Ms Walker said: “This [government scheme] will be unaffordable to many of them as the burden of caring for these buildings already falls onto local people and could lead to even more churches falling into disrepair or closing completely.”

In 2023, the trust made more than 250 grant awards to churches in the UK, helping to save over 70,000 years of valuable history.