The St George's Tron Church, in

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 Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, is a

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 ...

church in the city centre, located in Nelson Mandela Place, previously known as St George's Place, fronting

Buchanan Street Buchanan Street is one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbouring streets: ...

at West George Street, along from Queen Street Station. It should not be confused with the 17th-century Tron Church, which lies to the south-west on

Trongate Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Trongate begins at Glasgow Cross, where the steeple of the old Glasgow Tolbooth is situated, being the original centre of medieval Glasgow, and goes westward changing its na ...

and was redeveloped in the 1980s as the

Tron Theatre The Tron Theatre is located in the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in what was formerly the Tron Kirk which had started as the Collegiate Church of Our Lady and St. Anne in the Trongate area of Glasgow, Scotland. The Tron Steeple still ...

. Located right on the busiest shopping street in Scotland (

), the building is a significant presence, and the oldest in the area. It stands as a

terminating vista In urban design, a terminating vista is a building or monument that stands at the end or in the middle of a road, so that when one is looking up the street the view ends with the site. Function Terminating vistas are considered an important me ...

for West George Street.

History

The church opened in 1808, originally as St. George's Parish Church, with the original congregation originating from the Wynd Church in the

Merchant City The Merchant City, a new name introduced through urban renewal by the Scottish Development Agency and the city council in the 1980s is one part of the metropolitan central area of Glasgow. It commences at George Square and goes eastwards reachin ...

near to the Trongate. In 1815

Thomas Chalmers Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nine ...

, later to be the leader of the evangelical party in the

disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

, became minister of the church. A merger with the Tron St Anne congregation (previously of the Laigh Kirk on Trongate) in 1940 led to the compound St George's Tron name coming into use. A notable minister of the parish was Tom Allan, a key figure in the Scottish evangelical movement of the mid-20th century. Tom Allan died of a heart attack in 1965. His ministry was followed by that of George Baillie Duncan who developed a strong emphasis on biblical preaching and teaching and who served from 1965 to 1977. Another notable minister, also an evangelical, was Eric Alexander, who served from 1977 to 1997 as was

Sinclair Ferguson Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson (born 21 February 1948) is a Scottish theologian known in Reformed Christian circles for his teaching, writing, and editorial work. He has been Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Sem ...

who served in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2004 Rev Dr William J. U. Philip became minister of the congregation, following a five-year term as Director of Ministry with the

Proclamation Trust A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

. During his ministry he oversaw the establishment of

Cornhill Scotland Cornhill can refer to: * Cornhill, Aberdeen *Cornhill, Aberdeenshire *Cornhill, Boston, formerly a street in Boston *Cornhill, London, a street and ward in the City of London *Cornhill Magazine, literary publication in print until 1975 *Cornhill-on ...

, a training organisation for preachers and teachers of the Bible. In 2012 the Reverend William Philip and the congregation left the Church of Scotland and moved to new premises on Bath Street where they have continued as an independent congregation.

Today

The Reverend Alastair Duncan was duly appointed as a Transition Minister for a 7 year period in order to re-plant a congregation in the landmark city centre church, before being formally inducted over zoom in 2020. St George’s Tron opens its door to the public 7 days a week, with the Wild Olive Tree café operating open Monday to Saturday 10am-4:30pm and a Café Church Service on a Sunday at 12:30pm, as well as other services throughout the week.

Recent activity

In 2015 Iain Campbell took up a temporary post as Artist-in-Residence at St George's. Campbell produced a painting titled "the last supper" depicting men in difficult personal circumstances dining at a table. This was to commemorate a cafe operated in the church which was a social enterprise project run in conjunction with

Glasgow City Mission Glasgow City Mission is a Christian charitable organisation whose remit covers Glasgow, Scotland. It is dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and providing practical help and support to homeless and disadvantaged people. Its headquarte ...

. The Glasgow Street Pastors continue to operate out of St George's Tron, using it as their "safe zone" on Friday and Saturday nights.

Architecture

The building, which was commissioned by the City Fathers was designed by William Stark, was opened in 1808, originally as St. George's Parish Church.

Refurbishment

From 2007-9 the church building was refurbished by CRGP architects and surveyors. This restored a number of original features which had been concealed by practical alterations over the years as well as revealing and addressing structural weaknesses in the tower. The new interior is an open and contemporary design, making it an excellent location for the Wild Olive Tree cafe.

References

External links

St George's Tron Church of Scotland, Parish Church
(the

Presbytery of Glasgow The Presbytery of Glasgow is one of the 46 Presbyteries 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 ...

congregation, which meets in the building) {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint George's Tron Church Churches completed in 1808 19th-century Church of Scotland church buildings Category A listed buildings in Glasgow George's-Tron Listed churches in Glasgow Terminating vistas in the United Kingdom