Our Origins
The Friends of Mansfield Place Church was formed on 21st April 1992 at an inaugural meeting at the Glasite Meeting House. Thirty-five people attended including 12 former members of the Catholic Apostolic Church, from as far as the Netherlands, all united in their concern to rescue and reopen the splendid Rowand Anderson Building with its exquisite murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair.
Earlier that year a planning application to convert the church into a night club had attracted a great deal of local concern but sufficient residents lodged objections and permission was refused. A steering group was set up and the decision taken to set-up a Charitable Trust with a view to purchasing or leasing the building and restoring it.
Having decided that too few members of the public had seen inside the building a Grand Tidy-up Day took place on 5th September 1992 where people were invited to donate their time and labour. A Centenary Exhibition celebrating exactly 100 years since Phoebe Traquair started her work in the church was held with concerts, lectures and social events.
In 2002 we changed our name to Friends of Mansfield Traquair Centre.
