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CASEWORK
view at the south end of the High Street
at Dunbar. Built as a Free Church in 1850,
it is a late work of Thomas Hamilton, the
genius capable of designing the Greek
Doric dramas of Edinburgh’s High School.
Here he focused on providing a spacious
but unostentatious aisled-hall church with
galleries round three sides and stairs in the
corners. It was built to an 18th century
formula, symmetrical on plan, but in a
personal interpretation of Gothic
structure, where quatrefoil wooden
columns shoot upward to branch and
define a pointed high vault to the nave and
lower flat roofs to the aisles. This structure
is expressed in the entrance front by a
steep gable flanked by lower, level screen
walls to the aisles, all in a correct Early
English style, with stepped lancet windows
in the gable, blind arcades to the aisles, and
a token asymmetrical spire to the left of
the arched entrance. The rest of the
exterior is of a dark local stone, with side
windows at two levels, and there is a small
axial vestry. A full complement of school,
hall, vestry meeting room, and a manse
occupy a triangular site south of the
church, and all have planning permission
for domestic use and conversion. After
years of neglect the category B listed
church is in a poor structural state, rain
comes through the roofs, and the galleries
are unsafe. In a bid to secure planning
permission for redevelopment for housing,
and selling the site, the owner encouraged
a young architect to produce a futuristic
scheme to create a three storey family
house. The scheme proposed filling the
central void of the nave, like a Rachel
Whitehead sculpture, with a sleek, copper
faced arch-topped ‘space ship’ made visible
by removing the aisle roofs to create
flanking interior walled garden areas to the
house, and demolishing the church
progressively from the ‘east’ end. The
Panel likened it to Soane, who required his
apprentices to demonstrate their drawing
skill, composition and knowledge of
construction, by drawing his buildings as
they would appear as ruins. With repeated
submission of variations of this scheme,
Council planners resisted this visionary but
basically philistine scheme, the Panel
supported the planners, and Historic
Scotland consistently advised against the
scheme on listed building grounds. At a
local appeal against refusal of planning
permission, a councillor was impressed by
the refreshing futuristic scheme, the
professional presentation and forward
thinking of the conversion, and permission
was granted for the scheme: but listed
building consent was still required. The
Panel objected to the listed building
consent application; Historic Scotland
advised refusal; and the Council refused it.
On appeal to the government, the Panel
wrote objecting, and two members of the
panel attended the Reporter on a notably
wet and windy site visit in Dunbar. The
appeal was determined against the
proposals, and the listed building still
stands. Its future depends on its prompt
repair and economic use, which are very
uncertain.
Bill Dodd
An Active Historic Buildings Preservation Trust
Holidays With History
The Vivat Trust is a charity that rescues derelict buildings
and converts them into high quality self-catering holiday
accommodation. Our properties range from intimate
retreats to charming cottages and grand country
houses.The rental income covers our maintenance
costs and helps fund new projects so please support us
by holidaying in our historic properties.
Tel: 0845 090 0194 www.vivat-trust.org
Vivat Trust Holidays is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Vivat Trust Ltd,
Reg Charity 282921, SCO41369 Scotland.
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THE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND
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AUTUMN 2013