A 6 month, £900,000 project to restore and renew one of Portobello’s most historic buildings was completed in June 2025.
On Sunday 18 May, the congregation of St Mark’s Portobello was joined by the Rt Rev Dr John Armes, bishop of Edinburgh, for a celebration to mark the start of a phased return to the use of the building after a 6 month project of renovation and renewal. And on Saturday 21 June, a community Open Day welcomed more than 200 visitors, eager to see the transformation. With music from the Feast for Life choir, and soloists from the congregation, it was a real celebration.
During the 6 months when the building was closed, the congregation worshiped at St John the Evangelist, Roman Catholic Church and Portobello and Joppa Parish Church.
The major work on the 200 year old church at the heart of Portobello, included extensive conservation of the roof, ceiling and historic stained glass windows. Inside, there has been a transformation with the reordering of the front of the church, adding a second toilet and enhanced kitchen facilities, new flooring, lighting and decoration.
The project has been 10 years in the vision and planning, and has been made possible through the design team at Taft Architects and Lee Boyd Architects, HM Raitt, and the many funding partners including Historic Environment Scotland, The Heritage Lottery Fund, National Churches Trust, the Scottish Episcopal Church, Benefact Trust, Wolfson Trust, Baird Trust, Beatrice Laing Trust, Congregational and General Fund, Garfield Weston, FCC Communities Trust as well as smaller community groups and individuals.
The phased return allows the congregation to worship in the building on Sundays while the contractors finish the work in the next few weeks and will culminate in a community celebration on Saturday 21 June.
Rev Dr Sophia Marriage, Rector of St Marks said: “This was a joyous celebration to rededicate the building as a sacred space at the heart of Portobello and to rededicate the congregation as we serve the people of Portobello. We are so grateful for all those who have encouraged, prayed and worked so hard to make this possible and we look forward to welcoming many into the space in the coming months and years.”
This project is far more than a Refurbishment Project. We are also seeking to use this time to grow spiritually and serve our communities – in our families and friends, in Portobello and the other communities which we live in. We are using the time to reflect on our ministry and mission. The renewal of the building opens up the possibility of change and renewal as a community of faith.
The Project was split into 5 stages, and we have now completed the first two phases (the ramp and the main floor).
Preliminary Plans have been drawn up for future phases, which will include reworking the back fire exit and stairs, and reconfiguring downstairs to create two community rooms, three bathrooms, a tea preparation area and a welcoming entrance lobby.
This project was launched in 2019 … before the Pandemic and the huge rise in building labour and materials costs that we have seen in the last few years. These have made fundraising exceptionally difficult and raised costs enormously.
