This is an impressive antique brass Victorian ecclesiastical eagle lectern, circa 1890 in date.
The 5ft3inch (157cm) lectern features an eagle with wings outstretched and detailed feathers to form the book rest, on a ball surmounting a knopped column.
The flared moulded base has five bracket feet and the attention to detail throughout this wonderful piece is second to none.
The ball bears the inscription
‘To the Glory of God, and in Gratitude,
for the Centenary of Greenside Church, 1839-1939’
It was part of the contents of Greenside Church, Edinburgh, Scotland, until its recent deconsecration.
Among the congregation, one prominent family stands out, the family of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Condition:
In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 158 cm x Width 70 cm x Depth 70 cm
Dimensions in inches:
Height 5 foot, 2 inches x Width 2 foot, 4 inches x Depth 2 foot, 4 inches
A lectern (from the Lat
...in lectus) is a reading desk, with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. To facilitate eye-contact and improve posture when facing an audience, lecterns may have adjustable height ang.d slant. People generally use lecterns while standing.
The site of Greenside has a long religious history. In 1456 a ''Rude Chapel'' was established on the green north slope of Calton Hill, and by 1526 a Carmelite (Whitefriars) monastery grew around it.
This monastery was dissolved during the Scottish Reformation, and in 1589 the city repurposed the chapel as a hospital for lepers, completed by 1591. Thus, the ''Greenside'' area was known in the 16th century for its friary and later its leper house.
After the leper hospital era, the Greenside hollow remained mostly undeveloped until the 19th century urban expansion of Edinburgh''s New Town.
Origins: ''Greenside Chapel'' (1838)
Greenside Church was founded as an offshoot of the Free Church movement in Scotland. By 1838, a group of evangelical Presbyterians in Edinburgh''s Greenside neighbourhood—then a rapidly developing district northeast of the city centre—resolved to build their own place of worship. They secured a plot on what is now Royal Terrace (a sweeping Georgian terrace overlooking the city) and commissioned a modest Gothic Revival chapel there.
The chapel opened for worship in 1838 and was known initially as ''Greenside Chapel'' or ''Greenside Free Church.'' In style, it was a simple, single-storey stone sanctuary with Gothic-arched windows, a small bell tower, and seating for several hundred worshippers.
The congregation was made up largely of local tradespeople, artisans, and working families drawn by a commitment to evangelical preaching and congregational self-governance—hallmarks of the Free Church tradition.
The Stevenson Family
Among the congregation, one prominent family stands out: the family of Robert Louis Stevenson. The famous novelist and poet spent part of his childhood in the Greenside Parish. His father Thomas Stevenson and grandfather Robert Stevenson (the eminent civil engineer) were both elders of Greenside Church, meaning they were leaders in the congregation.
Young Robert Louis Stevenson would have attended services there as a boy, and he later fondly recalled it as ''the church on the hill.'' The Stevenson family even endowed a mission chapel for the poor of the parish at Lower Greenside in memory of Robert Stevenson – a philanthropy commemorated by a plaque inside the church. This illustrious connection to the Stevenson family is an important part of Greenside''s legacy.
Our reference: A5131
Internal Reference: A5131
Antique ID Number (AIDN): SA1200662
Dateline of this antique is 1890
Height is 158cm (62.2inches)Width is 70cm (27.6inches)Depth is 70cm (27.6inches)
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