UK – Video game tycoon preserves Edinburgh monument

UK – Video game tycoon preserves Edinburgh monument

Video games like Grand Theft Auto and religious heritage might sound like an unlikely combination, but on June 27, news got out that video game tycoon Leslie Benzies has stepped in to preserve St Stephen’s Church for community use after the A-listed monument had been put up for sale. The church had been in use as a local community centre for the past two decades. Mr Benzies’ intervention thwarted prospective bids to turn the Georgian church into flats or a restaurant complex. The deal is described as a purely philanthropic purchase; Mr Benzies, who has lived within half a mile from the church for over a decade, has pledged to transform the historic building into a community hub and performing arts centre.

Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage said St Stephen’s was a “major landmark” for the city and designed by one of the Capital’s foremost architects.

He said: “We are thrilled to hear that St Stephen’s Church is to have a suitable new use, with a beneficent new owner at the helm.

“For locals this will provide a great community resource, and investing in the city’s extraordinary built heritage in this way actually benefits the city as a whole.”

 

Read the full article here, and another article here.

St Stephens Church, Edinburgh. Photo: Malcolm McCurrach

St Stephens Church, Edinburgh. Photo: Malcolm McCurrach

 

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