The Scottish Episcopal Church of

St Cuthbert's, Colinton, Edinburgh

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PHOTOGRAPHS


Click on the images below to view a larger version of the same photo. You can also click on the photos elsewhere on this site to enlarge them.

The Clergy Team

The clergy  team

The Rector, Revd Stephen Parsons (right) with Assistant Priest, Revd Douglas Yeoman

The Church


The interior of the church has a number of decorations which reflect important parts of the Christian message, some of which are explained in the captions accompanying each photo.
 
The nave
 

A particular feature of the inside of the Church is the richly decorated ceiling in both the nave and the chancel designed by Rowand Anderson

 
The pulpit.
 

The pulpit and stained glass window. The window was gifted to the church in 1895 and is thought to be a copy of a design by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Holman Hunt: the figures represent Love and Hope. Hanging from the front of the pulpit is a copy of the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic (the language which Jesus spoke). It was given by Carole Morton, who runs an outlet for several Palestinian co-operatives, and whose husband was formerly the Church of Scotland minister in Jerusalem.

 
Detail from the decorated ceiling in the chancel.
 

A detail from the decorated ceiling in the chancel, designed by Rowand Anderson. The top left panel shows two angels holding the shield of St George; the bottom right panel illustrates John the Baptist's description of Jesus as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:19); and the bottom left and top right panels recall Jesus's own words "I am the true vine" (John 15:1).

 
The high altar.
 

The high altar at the east end of the church. The reredos (the screen behind the altar) shows Jesus in His glory, with the words "And having a high priest over the house of God let us draw near". This recalls Hebrews 4:14–16, which describes Jesus as the high priest who represents us before God. On the altar cloth are the Latin words "ibunt de virtute in virtutem", which translates as "they go from strength to strength". This is taken from Psalm 84, which praises God for allowing us to approach Him and to "dwell in His house". The silver cross and candlesticks (see the History page) were designed by J. H. Auld in 1950.

 
Detail of a carved wooden pew end.
 

Detail of one of the carved oak pew ends, which were donated to the church over the first half of the twentieth century. The vine at the top again recalls John 15, while the heraldic design identifies the donor.

The West window.
 

The stained glass of the West window, donated in memory of Sir Oliver and Lady Riddell. The theme of the window is the founders and builders of the Church, and the choice of scenes and symbols reflects this. In the top of the window are the Chi-Rho (a symbol of Christ); a triquetra and circle (a design which represents "three in one" and so stands for the Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit); a bishop's mitre and saltire which are the symbol of the Scottish Episcopal Church; and Noah's Ark. The four main panels show King David of Israel, who prepared (but did not build) the first Temple at Jerusalem; two pictures of Jesus and his disciples; and King David I of Scotland, the builder of Holyrood Abbey in the centre of Edinburgh. The four creatures at the bottom of each window are a traditional representation of the four Gospel writers: from left to right, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The symbolism comes originally from Revelation 4:7. In the surrounding decoration are many pictures of pomegranates: this fruit, with its thousands of seeds, is a traditional symbol of the Church.

The Baptistry window.

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