Edinburgh's 17th century Tron Kirk

Tron Kirk/Church was commissioned in Edinburgh by King Charles I from Scot­t­ish architect John Myle, as part of the plan to upgrade Edinburgh to city status. And it seems that the timing was critical. King Charles was try­ing to impose an Episcopal structure onto the reluctant Scottish Church. This was just after the bishopric designation of Edinburgh’s High Kirk St Giles in the royal charter of 1633.

Looking along the Royal Mile to Tron Kirk.

Furthermore the location was also significant. The North-West parish congreg­at­ion had been displaced by St Giles’ changing status, and they required a new home. So the new church was built on the Edinburgh's gorgeous Royal Mile.

As the building went up in the 1630s and 1640s, the architectural taste was mixed, reflecting both the cultural tastes and the politics of that period. The side of the Kirk facing Hunter Square looks like a Dutch church or town hall of the same era. Other parts of the building look Palladian, with strong Gothic elements.

Scottish Historic Buildings Trust

 

Change over the centuries was inevitable. For example, the Great Fire of Edinburgh in Nov 1824 ravaged Scotland’s capital. Ten lives were lost and hundreds of families made homeless due to the inferno. £200,000+ worth of damage was inflicted on the south side of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile which included the toppling of the Tron Kirk’s famous Dutch-influenced steeple. The current Tron Kirk steeple, which was a totally new design, was not created until 1828.

The church has been largely closed to the public since soon after WW2 and it was very fortunate to escape destruction. Plans to remove the church were regularly floated in order to improve traffic flow around the busy junction of the Bridges and the Royal Mile. Luckily for Tron Kirk, it became a key part of a large plan to restore the historic heart of the city. The goal was to bring unused heritage buildings back to life as cultural and arts venues.

A restoration programme commenced in 1974 and even then there was a surprise: work on the floor and foundations of the church uncovered the remnants of 16th century shops and dwellings on historic Marlin’s Close. Naturally the site soon became interesting to historians and archaeologists. The excavated remains of the medieval Marlin’s Close have now been glassed over, creating a unique and fascinating window into Edinburgh’s past.

The Kirk’s connections with Hogmanay were interesting. While the winter solstice was celebrated among the Norse in ancient times, the link to the Vikings’ celebration of Yule (then the Twelve Days of Christmas) might also have played a role. Perhaps these pagan winter festivities were not always popular with the stout Scottish clerics of the Protestant Reformation, but this changed. By the late C17th, various areas of Scotland were developing their own Hogmanay rituals including, or perhaps especially Edinburgh.   

                

Edinburgh Hogmanay, New Year's Eve

DanFlyingSolo

As a result, Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations these days are probably some of the best attended in the world. And in Dec 2012 the Tron Kirk was open, for three hectic days and nights, to people welcoming in the New Year. The title, A Festival of the Extraordinary: The Drambuie Surreal Sessions, might suggest that some alcohol was involved. However the goal was always to help secure the future of the Tron Kirk as a central arts and culture venue in Edinburgh.

The Conservation organisation, Edinburgh World Heritage, submit­ted the plans to the Edinburgh City Council to open a visitor centre in the church. Now approved, this visitor centre will explain the history of the capital's Old and New Towns from inside the 17th century site. Perfect.