St. Bride's Church, Glasgow
Encyclopedia
St. Bride's Episcopal Church is situated in the Hyndland
area of the West End of Glasgow
, Scotland
.
area, on land provided at Beaconsfield Road by the owner of the Kelvinside estate, J.B. Fleming, one of the group. Members of the group included James Parker Smith, Liberal Unionist
MP
for Partick
and owner of the Jordanhill
estate; Francis Newbery, director of the Glasgow School of Art
; William Kennedy of Hugh Kennedy and Sons, railway and public work contractors; and R. W. Shanks, a Partick fishmonger. Fleming became one of the trustees of the new church, along with Robert Young Pickering
, managing director of railway carriage-builders R Y Pickering & Co Ltd. The church building itself was a small wooden chapel the group had acquired from the grounds of Douglas Castle
, family seat of the Earls of Home
, and sat 114 people. It was dedicated to St. Bride of Kildare
, patron saint of the Douglas family
.
From 1891 to 1893, the church in Beaconsfield Road was served by curate
s from nearby St Mary's Cathedral
on Great Western Road
. In 1893, Pickering and Fleming provided funds of £250 a year for the church to have its own priest-in-charge until the end of 1897, and the Revd Theodore Younghughes was subsequently appointed.
In 1899, having established a permanent location, St. Bride's was promoted to being an incumbency, entitling it to have a Rector, to which post Theodore Younghughes was appointed. A permanent church building was required, and the noted ecclesiastical architect
, George Frederick Bodley
, was commissioned to draw up plans. His recent work had included St Salvador’s Church in Dundee, the Chapel at Queens' College, Cambridge
, and St. Mary's Church in Eccleston
, Cheshire, which bears a strong resemblance to St. Bride's. Through the generous aid of a wealthy benefactress, Sarah Mackie, husband of James Logan Mackie of Mackie and Co., creator of White Horse
whisky, progress on the building was swift; the foundation stone of the chancel was laid on 9 May 1903, and the chancel dedicated upon its completion on 30 April 1904; the foundation stone of the nave was then laid on 5 May 1906, with dedication on 25 May 1907. However, Mrs Mackie suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after, and work on the building ceased. In 1910, Revd Younghughes resigned as rector, and Revd Edward Reid was appointed in his place.
Revd Reid was the son of the late James Reid, partner in Neilson, Reid and Co.
, and came from a wealthy family. He and his brothers were great philanthropists, and Edward's particular interest lay in churches. He guaranteed the debts of St. Bride's of £2,390, however inspections of the church building revealed shoddy workmanship on the nave, which had to be torn down. The Reid Brothers then provided the funds for the building of the church in memory of their sister, Elizabeth, who had died in 1912. The work was completed between 1913–1914, and the new building consecrated on 1 February 1915. It is a Category B listed building
Other churches nearby:
Hyndland
Hyndland is a residential area in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.Bordering the Broomhill, Maryhill, Dowanhill, Kelvinside and Partickhill areas, it is a middle-class area populated mainly by professionals and young bourgeois bohemians including a number of noted authors, poets,...
area of the West End of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
In the late nineteenth century, a number of temporary church buildings were erected in the new suburbs developing around the West End of Glasgow. St. Bride's began its life as one of these. In 1891, a group of local businessman put forward a proposal to erect a church in the KelvinsideKelvinside
Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Dowanhill, Hyndland and Broomhill to the South with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the North...
area, on land provided at Beaconsfield Road by the owner of the Kelvinside estate, J.B. Fleming, one of the group. Members of the group included James Parker Smith, Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Partick
Glasgow Partick (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Partick was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1950.- Boundaries :...
and owner of the Jordanhill
Jordanhill
Jordanhill is an affluent area of the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The area consists largely of terraced housing dating from the early to mid 20th century, with some detached and semi-detached homes and some modern apartments....
estate; Francis Newbery, director of the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
; William Kennedy of Hugh Kennedy and Sons, railway and public work contractors; and R. W. Shanks, a Partick fishmonger. Fleming became one of the trustees of the new church, along with Robert Young Pickering
Robert Young Pickering
Robert Young Pickering was a British industrialist.-Early life:Pickering was born at Railway Cottage, Shildon, County Durham, England in 1849, the eldest son of John Pickering 1823 - 1900 and Elizabeth Young 1828 - 1890. Robert’s father at the time of his birth was classified as a “British...
, managing director of railway carriage-builders R Y Pickering & Co Ltd. The church building itself was a small wooden chapel the group had acquired from the grounds of Douglas Castle
Douglas Castle
Douglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large mansion house was built in its place. This too was demolished in 1938, and today...
, family seat of the Earls of Home
Earl of Home
The title Earl of Home was created in 1605 in the Peerage of Scotland for Alexander Home of that Ilk, who was already the 6th Lord Home.The Earl of Home holds the subsidiary titles of Lord Home , and Lord Dunglass , in the Peerage of Scotland; and Baron Douglas, of Douglas in the County of Lanark ...
, and sat 114 people. It was dedicated to St. Bride of Kildare
Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigit of Kildare, or Brigit of Ireland , nicknamed Mary of the Gael is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba...
, patron saint of the Douglas family
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
.
From 1891 to 1893, the church in Beaconsfield Road was served by curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
s from nearby St Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow
The Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is located on the Great Western Road, in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. The current building was opened on 9 November 1871 as St Mary's Episcopal Church and was completed in 1893 when the spire was...
on Great Western Road
A82 road
The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
. In 1893, Pickering and Fleming provided funds of £250 a year for the church to have its own priest-in-charge until the end of 1897, and the Revd Theodore Younghughes was subsequently appointed.
Hyndland Road
Due to a subsequent falling-out with Fleming, who owned the land on which the church stood, it becamse necessary for the congregation to move. In 1899, a site on the Hyndland estate at Hanover Terrace (now Kingsborough Gardens) and Hyndland Road was selected, and the church building transported there. The spire was temporarily removed from the building to prevent damage to telephone wires, and a timber frame slid under the building, while soaped wooden runners were placed in front of it leading to the road. The frame carrying the church was then dragged by a traction engine over the runners and into the road. Wheels were attached to the frame allowing it to be pulled the half mile route to its new home in just one hour. The church was open for business the next morning: a Sunday.Church architecture
Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christian churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions...
, George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
, was commissioned to draw up plans. His recent work had included St Salvador’s Church in Dundee, the Chapel at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, and St. Mary's Church in Eccleston
Eccleston, Cheshire
Eccleston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, and close to Chester...
, Cheshire, which bears a strong resemblance to St. Bride's. Through the generous aid of a wealthy benefactress, Sarah Mackie, husband of James Logan Mackie of Mackie and Co., creator of White Horse
White Horse (whisky)
White Horse Scotch Whisky is a blended Scotch Whisky from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. It was first produced by James Logan Mackie in 1861. In 2006, White Horse won blended whisky of the year in Murray's 2007 Whisky Bible.-Composition:...
whisky, progress on the building was swift; the foundation stone of the chancel was laid on 9 May 1903, and the chancel dedicated upon its completion on 30 April 1904; the foundation stone of the nave was then laid on 5 May 1906, with dedication on 25 May 1907. However, Mrs Mackie suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after, and work on the building ceased. In 1910, Revd Younghughes resigned as rector, and Revd Edward Reid was appointed in his place.
Revd Reid was the son of the late James Reid, partner in Neilson, Reid and Co.
Neilson and Company
Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland.The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines...
, and came from a wealthy family. He and his brothers were great philanthropists, and Edward's particular interest lay in churches. He guaranteed the debts of St. Bride's of £2,390, however inspections of the church building revealed shoddy workmanship on the nave, which had to be torn down. The Reid Brothers then provided the funds for the building of the church in memory of their sister, Elizabeth, who had died in 1912. The work was completed between 1913–1914, and the new building consecrated on 1 February 1915. It is a Category B listed building
See also
- Scottish Episcopal ChurchScottish Episcopal ChurchThe Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
- St. Mary's CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral, GlasgowThe Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is located on the Great Western Road, in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. The current building was opened on 9 November 1871 as St Mary's Episcopal Church and was completed in 1893 when the spire was...
(Episcopalian)
Other churches nearby:
- St. John's Renfield ChurchSt. John's Renfield Church, GlasgowSt. John's Renfield Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, serving Kelvindale in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow.-Location:...
(Church of Scotland) - Jordanhill Parish ChurchJordanhill Parish Church, GlasgowJordanhill Parish Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, serving Jordanhill in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow...
(Church of Scotland) - Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church (Church of Scotland)
- St. Luke's Cathedral (Greek Orthodox)
- Wellington ChurchWellington ChurchWellington Church is a congregation and parish church of the Church of Scotland, serving part of the Hillhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. The building is located on University Avenue, Glasgow, opposite the University of Glasgow.-Building:...
(Church of Scotland)