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History of st george's west
A Short History of Our Congregation: FREE ST GEORGE'S
by Revd James Black
An edited extract from The Tradition of St George’s West (1931)
This brings us to the actual birth of our own congregation. From this date we became known by the name which still clings to us as a pleasant flavour in spite of other subsequent changes," Free St George's."
At the start we were fortunate beyond others in having a building ready for our use. Some time before the Disruption took place, indeed in anticipation of the event, many friends had gathered a fund and built a place of worship in Castle Terrace, called The Brick Church. Our minister and his self-exiled people at once moved into this prepared church. We did not own it, but only rented it until our own church should be built. The new congregation Free St George's met there for worship, Dr Candlish preaching, on Sunday, 21st May 1843.
The congregation, growing and solidifying and in high enthusiasm, worshipped in the Brick Church until its own proper church was built. The site of this second building was where the present Caledonian (Hotel) now stands in Lothian Road. The building was opened and dedicated on 5th January 1845.
The tasks of the church were becoming too onerous even for a stout heart like Candlish's. In I861 the Rev. Oswald Dykes, famous afterwards as the distinguished minister of Regent Square, London, and later as Principal of the English Presbyterian College, was called as colleague from East Kilbride. His help in the work and services of the congregation enabled the Dr Candlish to accept the Principalship of New College in the following year, retaining his position as minister of the congregation. The able young colleague remained in St George's till 1865, when his health broke down. He was forced to resign his charge and go to Australia to seek health, afterwards happily recovered.
In the same year owing to the pressing need of the Caledonian Railway to extend its area for the loading and unloading of freight, we were forced to sell the church in Lothian Road to the Railway Company, who paid us a sum which did little more than pay for the mere site in Shandwick Place. For a time the congregation was in the " wilderness " and worshipped in the Music Hall. The stones of the Lothian Road church were taken to Stockbridge: and the present church there (now demolished) is literally our old church reproduced. In 1867, after many vacillations about the new site, Shandwick Place was finally chosen, and the foundation- stone of the present church was laid by Lord Dalhousie.
