How it all began

During the ’39 – ’45 war no house building was carried out, and it took until 1953 before house building was started in Clermiston. Being in a completely new part of the town, there was no facilities of any kind and these things had all to be started from scratch.

The Presbytery of Edinburgh had appointed assessor Elders, to begin the work of the new Church in Clermiston, they were, Mr Peter T.S. Jeffrey and Mr Samuel Crockett from St Ninian’s Corstorphine, Mr Alex R. Greenlaw and Mr Robert Wilson from Davidson’s Mains and Mr Harry D. Winkle from Cramond. The leading of a Church in a new area calls for both courage and resilience and these virtues were held firmly by these individuals as they began the work of the new Church in Clermiston.

The congregation of St Andrew’s Clermiston was established in 1954 under the Church Extension Committee to meet the worship needs for the new community that was being built in the north west area of Corstorphine Hill and on Sunday 3 rd October 1954 the service of consecration took place.

In these early days, worship was carried out in the ‘Hut’ a wooden structure, lit by paraffin lamps.  In March 1956, fourteen Elders were ordained or admitted to serve in the quickly growing Church. 

 

(Sir) Basil Spence was chosen as the architect for St Andrew’s Clermiston, and is the only church in Scotland that he designed. Building began and the sanctuary opened in 1957.

​

Two and a half years after the first service of public worship was held in a dangerously overcrowded Hut, on Friday 12 th April 1957 at 7:30pm, the opening and dedication service for St Andrew’s Clermiston took place. 

 

The officiating Ministers were:

The Rev. James Graham, M.A. Moderator of the Presbytery of Edinburgh
The Very Rev. Charles L. Warr, K.C.V.O., D.D., LL.D. St. Giles Cathedral; Joint-Convenor of the Church Extension Committee
The Rev. Robert Mackintosh, O.B.E., D.D. Secretary of the Home Board
The Rev. Horace Walker, B.D. Secretary-Depute of the Home Board
The Rev. Charles A. Smith, M.A. Clerk of the Presbytery of Edinburgh
The Rev. Ross Mackenzie, B.D. Parish Minister.

Sir Ernest Maclagan Wedderburn, D.L., LL.D., W.S. unveiled the panel commemorating the transportation of the charge of Saint Andrew’s Drumsheugh Edinburgh to Clermiston and its union with the Church Extension charge established there.

The organist was Mr George Cockburn. And so it began…..