Liberton Kirk Tower

"A church tower is a beacon to direct the faithful to the house of God; it is a badge of ecclesiastical authority, and it is the place from whence the heralds of the solemnities of the church, the bells, send forth the summons. Let no one imagine that a tower is a superfluous expense, it forms an essential part of the building, and should always be provided in the plan of a parochial church."

Augustus Welby Pugin - a Victorian architect famous for his Gothic Revival churches.

There has been Christian worship on this site since probably the 9th Century - although this building dates from only 1815 in the days of mad King George III.

I was driving past.

Tonight the Presbytery of Edinburgh - responsible for this and around 85 other church buildings in the city - will debate same-sex relationships in ministry. What would the subjects of King George III have made of that?