Pollokshields Parish Church is a 19th-century

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, named after the

Pollokshields Pollokshields ( gd, Buthan Phollaig, Scots: ''Powkshiels'') is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok C ...

area of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland.

History

The Pollokshields congregation was established in 1875, with worship taking place in the church hall, which was opened on 10 October 1875. It was only on 19 May 1877 that the foundation stone was laid by Sir

William Stirling Maxwell Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, 9th Baronet MP KT, of Pollok FRSE DCL LLD (8 March 181815 January 1878), was a Scottish historical writer, art historian and politician. Until 1865 he was known as William Stirling, and several of his books were ...

, Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. The church building was completed by 1878, when the church became a Quoad sacra parish on 5 March 1878 and named Pollokshields Established Church. The church was officially opened on 19 May 1878. The church was remodelled in 1913, when the church and hall were repainted and relighted, while the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

was paved with marble. During renovation, and until the church was reopened on 7 September 1913, the congregation worshipped in Titwood Parish Church. The Titwood congregation and the Pollokshields congregation united to form Pollokshields-Titwood Parish Church on 15 June 1941. The Pollokshields building was chosen as parish church, while Titwood Church was dismantled, moved and rebuilt in

Pollok Pollok ( gd, Pollag, lit=a pool, sco, Powk) is a large housing estate on the south-western side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The estate was built either side of World War II to house families from the overcrowded inner city. Housing 30,0 ...

becoming

St James' (Pollok) Parish Church St James' Parish Church is a 19th-century parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Pollok area of Glasgow. History The church was originally built as the Titwood Parish Church of Pollokshields, but was dismantled, transported and rebuilt in ...

Architecture

The church was built in the Neo-Gothic style on designs by Robert Baldie. A centre

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

of was built at a height of 18 metres, with a carved

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

. A steeple was built at the southwest corner, rising to a height of nearly 55 metres. The tower has a clock face on each of its four sides. The south (entrance) front has a large geometrical window above a row of trefoil headed windows with stiff leaf capitals. The side aisles have twin lancet windows beneath the clerestory of triple lancet windows to the main church. The interior has aisle arcades formed by polished granite columns on high octagonal sandstone bases with French Gothic capitals supporting pointed arches beneath the clerestory windows and the high scissor braced roof trusses. Each column cap is different. The timber roof of the side aisles and the main trusses add to the grandeur of the interior. The south balcony is reached by a staircase from the east porch.

Works of Art

A total of 25 stained glass windows adorn the church, dedicated on 24 December 1889. These were the work of Stephen Adam, W & J J Keir and Robert Anning Bell. A brass lectern with an eagle mounted on a ball swivel, was also dedicated on 24 December. During the 1913 renovations, a new organ by

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the R ...

replaced the old Conacher organ. The organ is divided and enclosed in a carved oak case with the console detached. It contains three manuals and pedals and had thirty speaking stops and nine couplers. A War Memorial honouring the 34 men connected to the church who had died during

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, was unveiled on 30 October 1921."Pollokshields Church of Scotland"
''Glasgow Doors Open Day''. Retrieved on 1 August 2020.

References

{{Reflist Churches completed in 1878 Church of Scotland churches in Glasgow Listed churches in Glasgow Category B listed buildings in Glasgow 1877 establishments in Scotland 19th-century Church of Scotland church buildings