'Preaching station' on its knees as St George's closes

AN EDINBURGH church which once had people queuing up outside on a Sunday to get in is to stop holding services and could be sold off.

St George's West in Shandwick Place, known in the 1950s as Scotland's premier "preaching station", united earlier this year with another famous city church, St Andrew's & St George's in George Street.

Up until now they have been holding services month-about in the two buildings, but from September, the merged congregation will use the George Street building as its permanent place of worship.

The Rev Russell McLarty, interim minister of the church, now known as St Andrew's & St George's West, said: "It's quite a painful thing for people to consider that a building they have been part of is no longer going to be used for worship."

But he said the church had employed a team of consultants led by a conservation architect to evaluate the two buildings. In the end, it was felt the George Street building was more flexible and more central to the parish.

Mr McLarty said a decision now had to be made whether to sell or to lease the Shandwick Place building.

"We did look at the option of trying to maintain both buildings but the costs involved is astronomical."

In its heyday, St George's West attracted large congregations and there were queues around the building. The Rev Professor Murdo Ewen Macdonald, who was minister from 1949 until 1963, was a particular draw.

He would explicitly endorse the Labour Party from the pulpit, while attacking fee-paying schools, Britain's possession of nuclear weapons, and Billy Graham's evangelical crusades.

The Shandwick Place building is an established Festival Fringe venue, home to the Olive Tree Cafe, the Hadeel fair trade shop supporting craftspeople from Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. It also provides offices for about a dozen charities.

Mr McLarty said: "There are possibilities that existing user groups could be included in future arrangements."

Meanwhile, the congregation plans to upgrade the George Street building with improved toilets and a lift, and they are looking at making better use of the paved areas either side of the church building with a programme of activities to attract passers-by and promote the church's interests.