Tron Kirk

The Tron Kirk is a former principal parish church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a well-known landmark on the Royal Mile. It was built in the 17th century and closed as a church in 1952. Having stood empty for over fifty years, it was used as a tourist information centre for several years in the mid 2000s and, more recently, was the site of the Edinburgh World Heritage Exhibition and John Kay’s book and gift shop. The name comes from the weighing beam (tron in Scots), serving the public market on the Royal Mile, which stood outside until around 1800. It is the only Scottish church where five consecutive ministers each served at least once as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (eight if including second charge ministers).