Mansfield Traquair Centre: ‘Edinburgh’s Sistine Chapel’
- 36 minutes ago
- 4 min read
This week, we visit a place that is known by many Edinburgh locals, but not as well known among visitors. It’s a hidden gem that you really must see in person to do it justice, but we will do our best to bring you on a wee virtual tour of this exquisite building and its murals. So, sit back and relax as we take you to the Mansfield Traquair Centre here in Edinburgh, Scotland!
The building now known as the Mansfield Traquair Centre was originally built for the Catholic Apostolic Church. According to the Mansfield Traquair Trust, “the political, social and economic turmoil of the early 19th century were all taken as signs that the Second Coming of Christ was imminent. The Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC) was formed in 1835 to prepare for the event although the members referred to themselves not as Catholic Apostolics but as ‘congregations gathered under apostles’. Twelve new apostles were appointed who were then able to ordain the angels (bishops), priests and deacons under them.” Furthermore, “an elaborate and beautiful liturgy was devised, derived mainly from the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. It involved music, processions, rich vestments, incense and candles.”
The Catholic Apostolic Church in Edinburgh was designed by architect, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson (who also designed McEwan Hall and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery), in the neo-Norman style and construction started in 1873. In 1892, artist, Phoebe Anna Traquair, was commissioned to paint murals for the church.
Phoebe Anna Traquair (née Moss) was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1852. She met her Scottish husband, Dr. Ramsay Heatley Traquair, when he was looking for an illustrator for his research papers. At the time, he was a palaeontologist and Professor of Zoology at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. They married in 1873 and moved to Edinburgh the following year when Ramsay was named as keeper of Natural History at the Museum of Science and Art (now known as the National Museum of Scotland).
Phoebe was an incredible artist who worked in diverse fields such as embroidery, manuscript illumination, bookbinding, enamelwork, furniture decoration, easel painting and, of course, mural decoration. Her works contributed to the Arts and Crafts movement, and, as the National Galleries Scotland points out, she “was one of the first women artists in Scotland to achieve professional recognition”. In fact, if you are looking to see more of her work, we highly recommend that you visit National Galleries Scotland to see her art including four huge embroidery panels in silk and gold threads. You can also see a beautiful Steinway piano decorated with her paintings on display at the National Museum of Scotland. We were fortunate to see another one of her paintings at Kellie Castle in Fife.
According to the Mansfield Traquair Centre, from 1893-1901, Traquair worked part-time on the murals, working only when the light was good. She did them in a decorative Italianate style with various biblical scenes on the walls throughout the Church. The murals are absolutely stunning, and hopefully the beautiful colours come through in the pictures below.
While Traquair didn’t paint the chancel ceiling, it is thought that the narrow centre section was designed by her.
The building operated as a working church until the mid-1900s. It was then used by various groups until the 1990s when a group of people (now known as the Friends of the Mansfield Traquair Centre) came to together to express their concern for the deterioration of the building and murals. Unfortunately, the building had decayed quite a bit over the years, and leaking water was coming in and damaging the murals.
As a result, the Mansfield Traquair Trust was formed in 1993, and they were able to buy the building in 1998. The building was structurally repaired and restored from 2000-2002 and the Traquair murals were painstakingly restored from 2003-2005 with support from Historic Environment Scotland. One of the first steps before any conservation work could be done was surface dirt removal. In fact, the conservators left one small section in the chancel side aisle so that visitors can see what the murals looked like before they were cleaned. You can see this with the dark rectangular patch below.
We are so fortunate that the Trust was able to ensure the preservation of this beautiful building and incredible murals as they are an important part of the historical landscape of Edinburgh.
We highly recommend that if you are in Edinburgh during one of the Mansfield Traquair Centre’s Open Days, that you pay them a visit. It is a stunning building that you really must see in person to fully appreciate the architecture and art. Trained volunteers with the Friends of the Mansfield Traquair Centre usually open the second Sunday afternoon of each month throughout the year and they offer guided tours. The next upcoming open day listed is Sunday, March 8. Admission is free, but, as the Friends are a registered charity, they appreciate donations. They also offer private tours, and more information about that can be found on the Friends of Mansfield Traquair Centre website.
The Mansfield Traquair Centre can also be used as an exclusive use venue for weddings, parties, and other events. I can only imagine how stunning it would be to get married in such a unique and exquisite building! Visit the Mansfield Traquair website if you would like to find out how to book your event.
We hope you have enjoyed this wee peek into ‘Edinburgh’s Sistine Chapel’. Be sure to subscribe to our blog to get our articles from Edinburgh and around Scotland as soon as they are published. You can also join one of our award-winning walking tours around Edinburgh. Sami and one of our Golden Retriever tour guides would love to show you around our beautiful ‘Athens of the North’.
Until next time- Explore & Discover!
