Historic Murals
In the side-chapel of the church are a number of murals by the Scottish artist Alexander Runciman. These were commissioned by the Episcopal Congregation who first occupied the church. They depict Christ addressing the woman of Samaria, the return of the Prodigal Son, Moses, Elijah – and a mural of the Ascension painted on the dome of the ceiling. When the Presbyterians took over the church they painted over much of Runciman’s work.
Exploratory examination of the mural of the Ascension in the dome has shown that restoration is possible. The murals are of outstanding national importance for their rarity and completeness and an important part of our appeal is to enable us to uncover the murals and restore them to their original beauty.
Alexander Runciman (1736-1785)
Runciman was born in Edinburgh and studied at Foulis’s Academy in Glasgow. He later studied in Italy with his younger brother, John. Alexander worked largely as a painter of romantic landscapes and historical scenes and was responsible for several mural paintings in and around Edinburgh. The most notable of these were painted for Penicuik House, depicting scenes from Scottish history. Sadly these were lost in a fire which destroyed the house in 1899. The works in St Patrick’s are the only surviving examples of Runciman’s murals
See http://www.penicuikhouse.co.uk/history-penicuikhouse.aspx