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General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland
 
 
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The Assembly Hall is located between the Lawnmarket and The Mound
The Mound

The Mound is an artificial hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, which connects Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh and its Old Town, Edinburgh. It was formed by the dumping of 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the draining of the Nor Loch - which today forms Princes Street Gardens and the foundations of Princes Street....
 in Edinburgh
Edinburgh

Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Sovereignty and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body....
.
owing the Disruption
Disruption of 1843

The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the State religion Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland ....
 in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterianism church , decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
 in 1843, the emergent Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)

The Free Church of Scotland is a Scotland denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the Disruption of 1843....
 urgently required a new theological college (New College
New College, Edinburgh

New College, Edinburgh is today one of the largest and most renowned centres for graduate studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the UK, with approximately 150 students in masters and PhD degree programmes in any given year, and from over 30 countries....
) in Edinburgh, an Assembly Hall and a home for the Free High Church (the member of St Giles' Cathedral who left at the Disruption). A complex of buildings was thus designed by William Henry Playfair
William Henry Playfair

William Henry Playfair was one of the greatest Scottish architects of the 19th Century. His father James Playfair was also an architect and his uncles were John Playfair, the famous scientist, and William Playfair, an economist and pioneer of information graphics....
 and built from 1846 onwards.






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The Assembly Hall is located between the Lawnmarket and The Mound
The Mound

The Mound is an artificial hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, which connects Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh and its Old Town, Edinburgh. It was formed by the dumping of 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the draining of the Nor Loch - which today forms Princes Street Gardens and the foundations of Princes Street....
 in Edinburgh
Edinburgh

Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Sovereignty and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body....
.

History

Following the Disruption
Disruption of 1843

The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the State religion Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland ....
 in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterianism church , decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
 in 1843, the emergent Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)

The Free Church of Scotland is a Scotland denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the Disruption of 1843....
 urgently required a new theological college (New College
New College, Edinburgh

New College, Edinburgh is today one of the largest and most renowned centres for graduate studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the UK, with approximately 150 students in masters and PhD degree programmes in any given year, and from over 30 countries....
) in Edinburgh, an Assembly Hall and a home for the Free High Church (the member of St Giles' Cathedral who left at the Disruption). A complex of buildings was thus designed by William Henry Playfair
William Henry Playfair

William Henry Playfair was one of the greatest Scottish architects of the 19th Century. His father James Playfair was also an architect and his uncles were John Playfair, the famous scientist, and William Playfair, an economist and pioneer of information graphics....
 and built from 1846 onwards. The Assembly Hall itself was designed by David Bryce
David Bryce

David Bryce was a Scotland architect. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated at the Royal High School and joined the office of architect William Burn in 1825, aged 22....
 and built in 1858-9. The back of the Hall facing Castlehill was extended east by J. M. Dick Peddie in 1885, with further work in 1902-3. In 1934 the Free High Church vacated its building, which was adapted to become the New College Library.

In 1900, the United Presbyterian Church
United Presbyterian Church

United Presbyterian Church was the name of multiple Christian denominations in the world, among which are the following:*The United Presbyterian Church of Scotland , a union of the United Secession Church and the Relief Church which joined the Free Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland...
 and a majority of the Free Church of Scotland united as the United Free Church of Scotland
United Free Church of Scotland

The United Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland , which in turn united with the Church of Scotland in 1929....
; the Assembly Hall was henceforth used by the newly united church. The United Free Church of Scotland and the Church of Scotland united in 1929. The Assembly Hall thus became the Assembly Hall of the reunited Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterianism church , decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. Overlooking the Moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is an honorary role, held for 12 months.Meetings of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland of the Church of Scotland, held in May each year, are chaired by the Moderator....
's chair, the centre of the south gallery was adapted to become the "Throne Gallery" for the Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland of the Church of Scotland , reflecting the Church's role as the national church of Scotland, and the Sovereign's role as protector and member of that Church....
. Prior to 1929, the General Assemblies of the (old) Church of Scotland were held in St John's Highland Tolbooth Church (now 'The Hub
The Hub

The Hub may refer to:* HubPlaces* "The Hub", a nickname for Boston, Massachusetts; short for The Hub of the Universe* The Hub , former church in Edinburgh which is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival...
'), the spire of which continues to overshadow the Assembly Hall and New College.

Interior

On the north side, there is a corridor known as "the Black and White Corridor" because of its distinctive chequered floor tiling. From the Black and White Corridor, there are steps down to the New College quadrangle (and Mound Place) and a staircase up to the Moderator's rooms and the Clerks' room (immediately above). Stairs also lead into the Rainy Hall of New College.

Use by the Scottish Parliament

Prior to 1999, the Assembly Hall was hardly used other than for meeting of the General Assembly and performances during the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival

the edinburgh international festival --Special:Contributions/83.44.166.187 21:30, 26 February 2009 The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August....
.

The Scottish Constitutional Convention
Scottish Constitutional Convention

The Scottish Constitutional Convention was an association of Scotland political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for a Scottish devolution....
 met in the Assembly Hall on 30th March 1989, at which the "Claim of Right for Scotland", a call for the creation of a Scottish Parliament, was signed by 58 out of 72 Scottish Members of Parliament. It was organised by the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly
Campaign for a Scottish Assembly

The Campaign for a Scottish Assembly was formed in the aftermath of the 1979 referendum that failed to establish a devolved Scottish Assembly....
.

Between 1999 and 2004 the Assembly Hall was used as the temporary debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the Devolution national, Unicameralism legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh area of the capital Edinburgh....
. The old (and uncomfortable) dark green leather bench seating was removed. Temporary (and removable) desks and seating were installed and the Hall was carpeted. The Church of Scotland used the Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Edinburgh International Conference Centre

The Edinburgh International Conference Centre, or EICC for short, is the principal convention and conference centre in Edinburgh, Scotland....
 for the General Assembly in 1999 and the Usher Hall
Usher Hall

The Usher Hall is a concert hall located in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland.It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1896....
 in 2001. In other years the Parliament had to vacate the Assembly Hall for the Church.

The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament had an office within the Assembly Hall buildings; all other Parliamentary offices were located in the former Midlothian County Buildings or the former Lothian Regional Council offices (since demolished), both located on George IV Bridge.

Following the completion of the new Scottish Parliament Building
Scottish Parliament Building

The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scotland Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Edinburgh, within the World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh....
 at Holyrood in October 2004, the Assembly Hall was refurbished with new theatre-type upholstered seating. The Church of Scotland's Board of Practice and Procedure set up an Assembly Hall Development Group to consider how the building could be more widely used in future. The Assembly Hall is now regularly used for conferences and performances, as well as for the General Assembly every May.

Assembly Rooms

The Assembly Hall should not be confused with the Assembly Rooms
Assembly rooms

In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes....
 in George Street, Edinburgh
George Street

George Street may refer to:People:*George Edmund Street , British architect*George L. Street III , submariner in the United States Navy...
, Edinburgh.

See also

  • General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
    General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

    The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Sovereignty and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body....
  • Church of Scotland Offices
    Church of Scotland Offices

    The Church of Scotland offices are located in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, at 121 George Street. These imposing buildings are popularly known in Church circles as "one-two-one"....


External links