It now has a capacity of up to 900. Notable features include two large, 18th-century boards displaying the Lord's Prayer, Creed, and Ten Commandments.

By 1822, however, population growth in the Southside and Newington spurred West Kirk session to appoint a committee of investigation to assess the need for a new place of worship in the southern districts of the parish.

Despite initial difficulties in securing a site, a location on South Clerk Street with access to the Meadows was purchased.

An international trade slump in the 1850s hollowed-out the area's once thriving weaving industry and deprivation and overcrowding became common.

Between 1860 and 1892, the church served the girls of the Trades Maiden Hospital, who sat on the south side of the gallery during worship.

[17] On 21 November 1879, the church was gutted by fire but was soon rebuilt, reopening on 21 May 1880 and becoming a charge quoad sacra in 1883 with a parish detached from St Cuthbert's.

The union resulted in 13 parish churches within the area between Holyrood Park and the Meadows, south of the old city wall.

[21][a] In 1941, the Newington Social Union ceased operations and, in 1943, the missionary halls in Causewayside, which the church had let to Edinburgh Coroporation since 1931, were sold.

This proved too complex but a five-fold union, excluding St Paul's Newington was requested by the General Assembly the following year.

[4][28] The following ministers served Hope Park Chapel (1824–1834); Newington Parish Church (1834–1932); and Newington and St Leonard's Parish Church (1932–1976):[19][6][29][25][30][28] 1824–1825 Robert Gordon 1826–1828 John Forbes 1829–1844 David Runciman 1859–1871 James Elder Cumming 1871–1898 John Alison 1898–1932 Hugh Cameron 1932–1940 William Liddle 1940–1956 Edwin Sprott Towill 1957–1976 Matthew Shields The following ministers served St Leonard's Parish Church (1879–1932):[19][20][22] 1879–1903 Lewis Frederick Armitage 1904–1912 John Calder 1913–1932 William Liddle[b] At the time of Newington and St Leonard's Parish Church's closure, the Scottish Baroque Ensemble, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Scottish Philharmonic Singers were in search of a permanent base.

The Scottish Philharmonic Society commissioned architects Robert Hurd & Partners to draw up plans to convert the church into a concert hall.

Larry Rolland of Robert Hurd & Partners was chosen as architect with Melville, Dundas & Whitson as contractors; work began in February 1978.

During the construction, the project attracted further funding from sources including a benefit concert by James Galway and a gala at Hopetoun House.

This culminated in a £200,000 grant from Lothian Regional Council, this allowed further work to take place, delaying the completion of the project until June 1979.

The plan was supported by Herbert Coutts, the city's director of leisure and culture, but criticised by Richard Murphy.

[38] In March 2017, the hall announced it had secured a £650,000 Scottish Government grant towards a £3,000,000 renovation, which it aimed to have completed by the building's 200th anniversary in 2023.

[39] In May that year, Mill Architects released plans to increase the flow of natural light to the interior while expanding the foyer and renovating seating.

[42] In January 2021, the hall received money from Historic Environment Scotland's COVID-19 Recovery Fund to improve accessibility and to add new toilet facilities.

[45] The façade centres on an advanced section of three bays divided by four Doric pilasters beneath a simple pediment.

[45][46][47] George Hay cited this as a "good example" of the domed steeple, which, from the 1820s, came to be viewed as more compatible with neoclassical architecture than the spire.

This included the painting of the interior in bright pastel colours and the reordering of pews to create chapels beneath the galleries.

[50] The building was significantly altered at its conversion to the Queen's Hall in 1978 and 1979 by Larry Rolland of Robert Hurd & Partners.

[46] Further work on ancillary buildings included the addition of a mezzanine level to the former hall in 1991 and the installation of a piano lift in 1996.

[33] In 1949, the congregation accepted two 14-foot-tall (4.3 m) boards from Buccleuch Parish Church, which display the Lord's Prayer, Creed, and Ten Commandments in gold lettering.

[55][56][57] Prior to secularisation, the auditorium's focal point had been the original Greek revival pulpit with domed canopy, which George Hay described as "excellent".

[59] Beneath the tondo stood a small pipe organ, created in 1809 by William Gray of London for a chapel at Costessey, Norfolk.