The Space
In 2022 Cornerstone Free Church of Scotland restored the Old Schoolhouse to give it a great future as a place of worship and a centre for the community of Morningside and Bruntsfield.
The Old Schoolhouse in Morningside has been at the centre of the community for almost 200 years. In 1823 the building was opened as a school and place of worship serving Morningside, Swanston, Fairmilehead and Lothianburn.
Old Schoolhouse, Morningside c1900
The Old Schoolhouse Floor Plan - © Mills + McCullough Architects
The Building
Located in Morningside in Edinburgh, the Old Schoolhouse sits on the junction where Falcon Avenue meets Morningside Road. The prominent location offers easy access by bus (5, 11, 15, 16, 23, 36, N11, N16), car and walking, making it an ideal venue for small events.
The Old Schoolhouse comprises of three distinct spaces; the Main Hall, the South Hall and the North Hall. The South Hall contains a small Kitchenette with tea and coffee facilities. There are four toilets, the largest toilet is accessible and also contains baby changing facilities. The spaces are flexible, with various sizes of rolling tables and stackable chairs, the rooms can be reconfigured for a wide range of purposes.
As part of the restoration project the team ensured that the building would be as environmentally friendly as possible, introducing LED lighting throughout, plenty of insulation, recycling bins and smart heating. Additionally, the building boasts enterprise-grade WiFi throughout, 4K screens in all spaces with Apple AirPlay and plenty of sockets for laptops and phone chargers.
The rear of the North Hall has a large window and door leading out into a private patio area perfect for spilling out onto for those hot summer’s evenings. The front of the building has a great enclosed area for meet and greet as well as allowing kids to roam securely throughout the property.
All three halls were designed to allow lots of natural light, easy access and be a warm and welcoming space.
Main Hall from rear
The Main Hall
With a max capacity of 120 the main hall can cater to a wide variety of events from gigs to board meetings. The room is fully equipped to support Live Streaming, video conferencing, live music and public speaking. At the front is a 120” 4K Projector and a removable lectern with built in goose microphones. The downstand where the room was previously split into two has two 65” 4K displays and a PTZ Optics camera to support live streaming and video conferencing. One screen usually shows Stage Display giving the presenter a view of what’s on the projector screen while the other shows the live stream or video conferencing feed. This combined with the high performance audio system allows everyone in the room and online hear and see clearly.
The majority of the room is wrapped with a shelf and acoustic panelling that hides the services. Above the surface are plenty of sockets making it a great place to plug in a charge your devices. The lighting can easily be changed to suit your event, dimming lights in various areas to create a cosy atmosphere in the darker evenings. The rear of the room has three large glass openings allowing plenty of natural light from Morningside Road.
Main Hall from front
Main Hall during a worship service
The North Hall
The South Hall
The North Hall setup for a meeting
The North Hall is larger than the South Hall and is a comfortable break out space that can support several sets of tables and chairs. The room has the stunning window and glass door that opens out into the rear garden. WiFi and a 55” display ensure that no matter your media requirements we can accommodate. The screen can also be used to show the feed from the Main Hall providing a suitable overflow space.
The South Hall setup for a children’s class
The South Hall is smaller as it contains the Kitchenette. The Kitchenette has world class coffee making facilities with both a Bean-to-cup machine (for those 1-2 cups) as well as facilities to produce 100+ cups from bean grinding to brewing. Additionally, a Quooker tap is installed providing instant boiling water for all your tea needs. A 65” display and Soundbar is also available for your media requirements and like the North Hall it is capable of showing the Main Hall feed providing another overflow space.