The

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

is named after

Saint Mungo Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

(also known as

Saint Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

and founder of the city 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 ...

. It belongs to 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 ...

Presbytery of

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

and serves the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where ...

. A

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

dedicated to St Mungo is thought to have been erected during the fourteenth or fifteenth-century, which became dependent upon the Parish of

Tullibody Tullibody ( gd, Tulach Bòide), is a town set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth near to the foot of the Ochil Hills within the Forth Valley. The town is south-west of Alva, north-west of Alloa and east-nor ...

. Alloa had grown into a parish in its own right by 1600 when the Act of Assembly united the two parishes. In 1680, the original chapel was rebuilt and enlarged. The current church replaces the old parish church from the seventeenth-century which had been deemed much too small for the congregation for over seventy years and was declared ruinous and unsafe in August 1815. The condition of the old church was so bad that services were often being held in the open air rather than risking injury to the congregation The decision was finally made to abandon the old building and find a site for a new parish church. The Erskine family donated land at Bedford Place and work on the new St Mungo's church began in 1817. The church congregation temporarily worshipped in the Tabernacle until the completion in 1819 of the new church. Since land was judged at the time to have too great a value to the living to be set aside for the dead, no

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

was planned or added to the new church. The more elaborate scale and design of the new building was intended to reflect the increased size and prosperity of the nineteenth-century congregation. The church was one of the largest in Scotland at the time it was built.

Building

The current church was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 11 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Life Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as J ...

. The building, in droved ashlar, is one of his finest neo-perpendicular

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

hall

kirks Kirks is a soft drink manufacturer founded in Queensland, Australia in 1865, producing a selection of soft drink flavours. Kirks is USA owned. History Before Kirks The Helidon Spa Water Company was founded in 1881 as a partnership between ch ...

. It has a rectangular plan with low square towers at each angle and an advanced

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 ...

centred on the north front. A spectacular 207 ft (63 m)

crocket A crocket (or croquet) is a small, independent decorative element common in Gothic architecture. The name derives from the diminutive of the French ''croc'', meaning "hook", due to the resemblance of crockets to a bishop's crosier. Description ...

louth-spire tops the building, so called because it was based on a fifteenth-century design at

Louth, Lincolnshire Louth () is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor ...

. The spire is centred on the south front and dramatically supported by corner turrets and flying

buttresses A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (si ...

. The tower is furnished with a four-dial clock and a finely toned bell, weighing about fourteen cwt. John Smith of Alloa was awarded the building contract. Robert Cock, along with his four sons, carried out the original

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

work. The paint work was completed by Thomas Whitehead. Miller and Drysdale installed the plumbing. The imitation

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

ceiling and ornaments around the ventilators were the first work carried out by John Wardhope from Edinburgh. The

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. The ...

erected at his own expense the ornamental railing around the church. It was intended that the railing on the north side should be circular, however, due to objections to its planned projection being too far into the centre of the road it was kept parallel to the road. The

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

was laid on 24 February 1817 and the church opened on 20 June 1819 with a capacity of 1561 seats. There were 200 fewer seats than originally planned due to space taken up by the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

. It is thought that around 2500 people attended the church opening which was more than half of the population of the town – at that time, the population of Alloa would only have been around 4000. The first child to be

baptise Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

d after opening was John Francis Erskine, son of Mr. Robert Hutton. To commemorate the occasion, the

presented Mr. Hutton with a silver cup bearing an inscription. It was 1825 before the bell and clock were added. In the late 1830s, records show that the church had 2698 members from 766 families. The total cost of the building came to £7000.Lady Charlotte Erskine
bequeathed £1200 towards the cost and the spire was built by public subscription. Lady Erskine's mortification deed specified that the sum should go towards an addition to the church of Alloa, keeping the new addition in good repair and provision of 246 seats. Sixty seats were reserved for

paupers Pauperism (Lat. ''pauper'', poor) is poverty or generally the state of being poor, or particularly the condition of being a "pauper", i.e. receiving relief administered under the English Poor Laws. From this, pauperism can also be more generally ...

who could not afford to pay and the remainder were to be let at a moderate yearly rent. The cost of the new building was kept down by re-employing much of the stonework of the old church, leaving its western gable and bell-tower to stand alone. Only two years after opening for worship,

dry rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...

was already spreading rapidly throughout the interior of the church. The architect recommended that the space under the seats be filled with gravel and broken stone as well as paving the whole of the ground floor. This was carried out in 1824 except in the middle section of the church which was not infected. Further expensive schemes of interior improvement were carried out in 1895 and 1923 with little success since they left the existing interior largely unaltered. The church was noted as "lacking few pretensions to beauty", but this likely refers to the relatively restrained design of the early nineteenth century. In early 1870 the congregation disputed the settlement by the Crown of Rev. Angus Gunn of Dollar to the United Parishes of Alloa and Tullibody. Gunn withdrew and instead, the 33-year-old Rev. Alexander Bryson was appointed in June 1870. In 1931, a legacy of £1000 was bequeathed to the church and, in recognition of the need for more modern and comfortable seating, the

Kirk Session A session (from the Latin word ''sessio'', which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called ''consistory'' or ''church board'') is a body of elected elders governing each local church within presbyteria ...

decided upon major reconstruction of the church interior. It was 1934 before the Session instructed architect Leslie Grahame Thomson MacDougall to prepare plans for the reconstruction, which were duly presented to the congregation at an estimated cost of around £13,000 and subsequently approved. The Baird Trustees generously promised £1200 towards the cost and a Church Interior Reconstruction Fund was established. Lady collectors visited homes month by month to collect money for the fund. Within two years, sufficient funds were raised from the monthly collections to allow the work to begin on 6 December 1936 and the church reopened on 16 October 1937. During the first phase of the reconstruction, the galleries were removed and the interior of the church was significantly brightened. A new entrance porch took the place of the old

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

and allowed additional seating. The roof was found to be in serious disrepair and was entirely reconditioned with the plaster ceiling replaced by a panelled and embossed wooden design. The floor was also replaced and a new heating system installed along with pendant lanterns. Records show that a new pulpit, font and lectern were also gifted and installed during this first phase of the reconstruction. At the same time, a Minister's chair and an acousticon earphone installation were also gifted. A second phase of reconstruction was planned which was to include a new

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 ...

vestries A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquially ...

and

session house A session (from the Latin word ''sessio'', which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called ''consistory'' or ''church board'') is a body of elected elders governing each local church within presbyteria ...

. However, it was not until 1967 that the alterations to the chancel and other improvements, including the addition of a choir room and session house, were undertaken to the same architect's plans. The current church has several

stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s that were installed as

memorials A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, Tragedy (event), tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objec ...

. The Good Shepherd window (1896) is dedicated to William Duncan Bruce and his wife. The Tie Deum window (1901) is dedicated t
Alexander Bryson
former minister of the church (1870–1900) and the Gethsemane window (1910) is dedicated to the wife of James Brown. In 1991, a memorial window (Fisher of Men) was installed and dedicated to Peter Phillip Brodie, former minister of the church (1947–1986) and

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

(1978–1979). In 1972, the church was designated as a

Category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

List of ministers (new and old parish church)

* 2011–present: Sang Y. Cha BTH MTH
News article: BBC 'Hollywood to Alloa for Kirk minister Sang Cha' (2011)
* 1994–2011: Alan F.M. Downie MA BD
Obituary: Johnston Press (2010)
* 1986–1994

BD * 1947–1986: Peter Philip Brodie MA BD LLB DD, also

, 1978–1979,

List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is a complete list of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation to the present day. Some listed below also currently have their own artic ...

News article: Glasgow Herald 'Dr. Brodie to be next Moderator' (1977)
* 1929–1946
James Pitt Watson
DD, also

, 1953–1954,News article: Glasgow Herald 'Alloa Minister in Motor Accident' (1931)Obituary: Glasgow Herald (1962)
* 1927–1929
Alexander Macdonald
DD, also

, 1948,News article: Glasgow Herald 'Moderator's Plea at Rally' (1948)News article: London Gazette 'The Procession of Her Majesty The Queen' (1953)
* 1919–1927
Robert John Thomson
MA BD * 1911–1919
Augustine Waitworth Scudamore Forbes
MA BD * 1901–1911:

Lauchlan Maclean Watt Lauchlan MacLean Watt FRSE (24 October 1867 – 11 September 1957) was the minister of Glasgow Cathedral from 1923–34, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1933. He was a published poet and author, a ...

MA BD DD also

, 1933–1934,Obituary: Newburgh News (1957)
* 1870–1900
Alexander Bryson
News article: Edinburgh Gazette 'Whitehall' (1870)
* 1863–1869
William Shaw
MA,News article: Edinburgh Gazette 'Whitehall' (1862)
* 1828–1862
Peter Brotherston
DD,News article: Edinburgh Gazette 'Whitehall' (1828)
* 1803–1828
James Maxton
Obituary (''The Gentleman's Magazine''), 1828
* 1760–1803
James Frame
MA,Graduate Record: University of Glasgow (1746)
* 1753–1760:

James Fordyce James Fordyce, DD (1720–1 October 1796), was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and poet. He is best known for his collection of sermons published in 1766 as '' Sermons for Young Women'', popularly known as ''Fordyce's Sermons''. Early life H ...

DD,Graduate record: University of Glasgow (1760)
Publications: List of sermons including

Sermons to Young Women ''Sermons to Young Women'' (1766), often called ''Fordyce's Sermons'', is a two-volume compendium of sermons compiled by James Fordyce, a Scottish clergyman, which were originally delivered by himself and others. Fordyce was considered an excel ...

which is mentioned i
Pride and Prejudice
by

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

(Mr Collins attempts to read the book aloud to the women during a visit to the Bennet household) * 1750–1753
James Syme
MA * 1736–1749
James Gordon
MA also

, 1734 * 1726–1735
John Taylor
MA * 1704–1724
John Logan
ref name="FES294" /> * 1690–1699
George Turnbull
also son of George Turnbull, Philosopher and Theologian * 1664–1689
James Wright
MA * 1626–1664
John Craigengelt
MA * 1589–1624
James Duncanson
MA,Publication: Letter to King James (1604)

Gallery

St Mungo's Parish Church Alloa (2).jpg,

Other images and maps relating to the church

* 2011
Aerial photograph showing St Mungo's Parish Church
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) * 2011
Aerial photograph showing the old church
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) * 2011
Aerial photograph showing the old church
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) * 2009
Photograph of St Mungo's Parish Church
Google Maps (Street View) * 2009
Photograph of St Mungo's Parish Church
Google Maps (Street View) * 1990
Painting of the old church ruins
BBC & Public Catalog Foundation * 1949
Aerial photograph showing St Mungo's Parish Church
Britain from Above * 1928
Aerofilm showing St Mungo's Parish Church
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) * 1896
Postcard of St Mungo's Parish Church
University of St Andrews Library Photographic Archive * 1861
Town plan of Alloa showing the church and number of seats (1561)
National Library of Scotland * 1840
Painting of Alloa including St Mungo's Parish Church
Clackmannanshire Council * 1825
Map of Alloa showing St Mungo's Parish Church and the name of the minister
National Library of Scotland * 1820
Ink sketch of the old church and planned new church
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS)

References

External links

*
Church of Scotland

St Mungo's Parish Church, Alloa (Official website)

St Mungo's Parish Church Alloa Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mungo's Parish Church Church of Scotland churches in Scotland 19th-century Church of Scotland church buildings Category B listed buildings in Clackmannanshire Listed churches in Scotland History of Clackmannanshire Churches in Clackmannanshire Alloa