Sited in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, this ring of 10 bells has an important place in the Scottish ringing scene.
Getting there
St Cuthbert's is adjacent to Princes Street, the main thoroughfare through the centre of Edinburgh and thus well supported by public transport. Trams from the airport stop in Shandwick Place, a few minutes walk away, and buses to virtually all parts of the city stop right outside the church.
Parking on the streets of Edinburgh is paid for and restricted until 6.30 Monday to Saturday and there is no parking at all on Princes Street and Lothian Road outside the church. There is a multi-story car-park on Castle Terrace, just two minute walk away, and in the evenings and on Sundays there is free parking on King's Stables Road which runs to the side of the church (note this road is best reached from the Grassmarket behind the Castle).
Facilities
There are toilets on the ground floor of the church which are open every day, and more toilets on the first floor which are only open during services.
Accessibility
The ringing chamber is reached from inside the main body of the kirk - just follow all available staircases upwards. On practice evenings the church door (on the south west corner) is usually open until about 8.00pm. Anyone arriving after this time may make use of the signal system in operation. Standing with your back to the closed door, follow the wall of the church around to the right where you will find a small flower bed with a compost bin. Immediately above this bin there is a switch on the wall - turning it on and off a few times lights a lamp in the ringing chamber which lets us know there is someone waiting to be let in. The climb to the ringing chamber is about 90 steps in three flights, only the first of which can be avoided by using a lift.
Food and Drink
There are numerous bars and restaurants within a five minute walk of the church. Currently the ringers tend to drink (after practice) in the Alexander Graham Bell, a (slightly up-market) Wetherspoons pub at the West end of George Street. After service ringing on Sundays some ringers go for refreshment in the Nero's coffee bar on the ground floor of the Frasers department store on Princes Street.
Interesting Facts
The current church dates from 1894, although the tower survives from an earlier building on the site - a 1791 bell that hung there is preserved in the hallway. Buried in the church and churchyard are John Napier (mathematician), . Henry Raeburn (artist), Alexander Naysmith (portratist of Robert Burns), and Thomas deQuincey (author) Agatha Christie was married in the church.
Ringing Tour F - Edinburgh
A walking tour of towers in Edinburgh.
10.00-12.00 | St Cuthbert |
12.00-14.00 | Fettes College |
14.00-16.00 | St Mary's Cathedral |
Please note that general ringing is available at St Andrew and St George on Friday evening, as well as service ringing on Sunday.
Event Properties
Event Date | 27-05-2017 10:00 am |
Event End Date | 27-05-2017 4:00 pm |
Registration Start Date | 08-02-2017 |
Cut off date | 14-05-2017 11:55 pm |
Individual Price | Free |