Edinburgh Old Town Fire

On Friday 19 December 2008, a major fire in Edinburgh’s Old Town severely damaged the former site of St John’s Church on Victoria Street.

Designed and built by architect George Smith between 1838 and 1840, St John’s is a landmark building in the capital and was most recently in use as Khushi's Indian restaurant and the long-standing Liquid Rooms music venue.

RCAHMS photographed the building on Monday 22 December once the fire had been extinguished and as scaffolding was being erected to support the building’s shell. A fire-damaged historic building in an urban environment can pose a danger to public safety, and planning authorities will often make very quick decisions as regards demolition. In such cases a fast response from RCAHMS’ Threatened Building Survey team may ensure a final record of a building before it is lost forever.

RCAHMS Threatened Buildings Investigator, Iain Anderson, said, ‘RCAHMS doesn’t just seek to record buildings in their prime. These new pictures record a significant – and potentially devastating – event in the history of the former St John’s Church. They will be added to the existing material on the building held by RCAHMS, which includes copies of the architect’s original drawings. Whatever now happens to St John's in the future, we have guaranteed the existence of a comprehensive and lasting record of a significant part of Edinburgh’s architectural heritage.’

Fire remains the biggest threat to the built heritage of Scotland. RCAHMS has a statutory duty to be kept informed of buildings under threat, and has previously recorded the site of the 2002 Cowgate and South Bridge blaze, and the fire damaged Elgin Place Congregational Church in Glasgow prior to its demolition in 2004.

RCAHMS has also been working with Historic Scotland and the Scottish Fire Services to create the Scottish Historic Buildings National Fire Database. The database collates fire risk information on all Category-A listed buildings in Scotland, providing access to plans, drawings, photographs, access routes and water supply locations. This is now available directly to fire incident crews to help improve the effectiveness of fire-fighting operations.