Greyfriars Presbyterian Church

RESTORATION APPEAL

Mary Queen of Scots granted the lands of the Grey Friars to the Town Council of Edinburgh in 1562 for use as a burial ground. When the four congregations that workshipped at St Giles grew too large for that building to contain them, the Town Council decided to build a new church in the Grey Friars yard.

That decision was taken 400 years ago.

The church was finally opened in 1620 and has withstood many hardships, not least an explosion of gunpowder in 1718 and a disastrous fire in 1845. It has undergone many changes: it was the first post Reformation church in Edinburgh to have stained glass windows and an organ in the 19th Century.

A table stone in its graveyard gave shelter to one of the most famous dogs in history, Greyfriars Bobby.

Since 1938 several congregations in this city-centre parish have given up their own church buildings and have come to join in worship at Greyfriars. The kirk still holds a service in Gaelic every sunday.


	RESTORATION APPEAL Mary Queen of Scots granted the lands of the Grey Friars to the Town Council of Edinburgh in 1562 for use as a burial ground. When the four congregations that workshipped at St Giles grew too large for that building to contain them, the Town Council decided to build a new church in the Grey Friars yard. That decision was taken 400 years ago. The church was finally opened in 1620 and has withstood many hardships, not least an explosion of gunpowder in 1718 and a disastrous fire in 1845. It has undergone many changes: it was the first post Reformation church in Edinburgh to have stained glass windows and an organ in the 19th Century. A table stone in its graveyard gave shelter to one of the most famous dogs in history, Greyfriars Bobby. Since 1938 several congregations in this city-centre parish have given up their own church buildings and have come to join in worship at Greyfriars. The kirk still holds a service in Gaelic every sunday.
Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk, Greyfriars Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2QQ email administrator@greyfriarskirk.com Telephone and fax 0131 225 1900 Visitor information 0131 226 5429