A tall Gothic church built from tooled concrete blocks remains a Loanhead landmark after conversion into eight homes.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1875; converted to housing in 1999–2000
- Architect / designer
- Donald Bruce
- Type
- Gothic concrete-block church with tower, converted to flats
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB43893)
- OS grid reference
- NT 28029 65817
Architecture and continuing use
The rectangular buttressed church has a gabled principal front and a four-stage battlemented clock tower. Concrete blocks were worked to resemble droved ashlar, with traceried and pointed openings, pinnacles and hoodmoulds. Subdivision and roof lights record the later flat conversion while the principal envelope survives.
Its story
Donald Bruce designed the church in 1875. Limited funds prompted the congregation to use concrete blocks rather than stone, making it an early Scottish example of the material. Clocks were added in 1899. Major work beginning in 1999 converted the interior into eight flats, removing the original plan and fittings.
Why it is included
The building joins religious history, material experiment and adaptive reuse, showing how a prominent community landmark survived after its original congregation and interior disappeared.
What to notice
- Concrete blocks tooled to imitate stone ashlar.
- The four-stage tower with clocks and battlements.
- Pointed windows visibly subdivided by the flat conversion.
Reading the surroundings
This is residential accommodation. View from public streets, respect entrances and windows, and do not seek access on the basis of its former church use.
Timeline
- 1875 Donald Bruce’s Reformed Presbyterian church was built using tooled concrete blocks.
- 1899 Clocks were added to the tower and structural ties reinforced the side walls.
- 1999–2000 The church was converted internally into eight residential flats.
- 19 November 2018 HES updated the supplementary information in the designation record.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
HES documented the residential conversion around 2000 but did not inspect the interior after completion; no claim is made about individual flats.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Former Reformed Presbyterian Church, Fountain Place, LB43893 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Midlothian Council: Loanhead Heritage Trail downloads — Current local-authority access point for the Loanhead Heritage Trail map and printable guide.
- Midlothian Council: Loanhead Heritage Trail — Local-authority heritage map locating the historic centre, Memorial Park, Fountain Place and the Mavisbank edge.
Location
OS grid reference NT 28029 65817 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; Place assignment and access are separately qualified. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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