The Queen's Hall


(Newington and St. Leonard's Church)

Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
©2022 Gazetteer for Scotland

Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Located on the west side of Clerk Street, in the Newington District of Edinburgh, the Queen's Hall represents the principal venue on the south-side of the city for concerts.

Built in 1823 by local architect Robert Brown (d.1832) as the Hope Park Chapel of Ease (under St. Cuthbert's Church), the building has a two-storey villa frontage, with a tall and slender classical steeple. It became Newington Parish Church eleven years later. Latterly the Newington and St. Leonard's Church, which closed in 1976, it was converted into a concert hall by L.A. Rolland and Partners, and formally opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 6th July 1979, from whom it takes its name.

The 900-seat auditorium still strongly reflects its ecclesiastical origins, with an original gallery, although the pulpit has been replaced by an early 19th Century chamber organ. Painted 18th Century panels displaying the Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, which were brought from the former Buccleuch Parish Church in 1950, can be seen on the stairs.

Noted particularly for its baroque and classical music concerts, the Hall is home to the world-class Scottish Chamber Orchestra, but also offers a programme of choral, jazz, folk and contemporary music, in addition to theatre, comedy, opera and spoken-word performances. The hall also serves as a venue for the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and Edinburgh Jazz Festival.


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