History

Historical Development of All Saints Church

Early Plans and Construction

• 1864: Robert Rowand Anderson was invited to enter a limited competition for designing a new church, alongside William Hay and William L. Moffatt.

• 3 June 1864: Dean Ramsay and the Building Committee announced Anderson as the chosen architect. The church was planned to seat 600 people and cost around £4,000.

• The initial proposal proved too costly, requiring a revision of the design. The final plan adopted a French Gothic style with a striking flèche.

• 1866: Anderson presented an updated design, which included nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, and a saddleback-roofed tower at the west end. The church was built with modifications, omitting the tower and narthex.

• 20 June 1867: The church was formally dedicated to All Saints and opened with a seating capacity of 450.

• Anderson also designed the original fixtures, including the font and pulpit.

Subsequent Additions and Enhancements

• 1870: William Burges designed a dossal for the high altar, depicting the Annunciation flanked by Moses and Gideon.

• 1874: The foundation stone of the ‘Home for Sisters of Charity’ was laid in Glen Street.

• 1876: The west end was completed, including a narthex and gallery.

• 1877: The foundation stone for a school and hall was laid adjacent to the Sisters’ home.

• 1878: A new clergy house or rectory was built, now known as Cloisters Bar.

• 1888-1897: The Lady Chapel was completed in a Romanesque style, featuring an organ loft, boiler room, and sacristy.

• 1889-1900: The reredos by C.E. Kempe was installed, incorporating figures from Oberammergau.

St Michael’s Church and the 1965 Union

ST Michael’s Church, originally the Roxburgh Free Church, was built in Hill Square in 1847 to designs by Thomas Hamilton. In 1888, John Kinross adapted it into an Episcopal church, retaining the original galleries while replacing the central pulpit with an altar flanked by chapels.
     In 1965, St Michael’s Church closed, and the congregations united at All Saints Church, creating St Michael and All Saints. This merger resulted in several changes:

• The wrought iron screen was subsequently removed.

• The pulpit from St Michael’s was installed in the nave.

• The high altar from St Michael’s, complete with relics, replaced Anderson’s original altar.

• The Michael Chapel was created south of the chancel, incorporating the Michael altarpiece (1902) by Hamilton More Nisbet.

• The Deposition of Christ painting from St Michael’s was placed on the west wall of the nave.

Key Features and Artistic Contributions

The church contains several important artistic and architectural elements, including:

• The dossal by William Burges, now in the Lady Chapel.

• The reredos by C.E. Kempe.

• The Michael Chapel, incorporating elements from St Michael’s Church.

Religious and Missionary Context

BOTH All Saints and St Michael’s had strong missionary roots. The mission school established in 1853 by St John’s Church, Princes Street, laid the foundation for All Saints’ congregation. Over time, several religious societies were linked to the church:

• The Society of All Saints (Sisters of the Poor): Sent four sisters from Margaret Street, London, in 1870 to undertake mission work.

• The Community of St Andrew of Scotland: Founded in 1858 and associated with mission work in Edinburgh.

• The Community of St Peter the Apostle, Westminster: Took over the St Andrew’s Home in Joppa in 1919 and later All Saints House in Glen Street.

Present-Day Significance

THE union of the two congregations in 1965 resulted in the unique dedication of St Michael and All Saints Church. While the structure has remained largely unchanged since then, some alterations have been made to internal fittings

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