St Paul's Church is a church building of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

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 ...

in the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

town of

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Milngav ...

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...

, near

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 is at the junction of Glasgow Road which carries the A81 through the city, and Baldernock Road. In 1978, St Paul's Church was listed as a Category C monument in Scotland. The church is still in use today.

History

In 1787 members of the

New Kilpatrick New Kilpatrick, (also known as East Kilpatrick or Easter Kilpatrick) is an ecclesiastical Parish and former Civil Parish in Dunbartonshire. It was formed in 1649 from the eastern half of the parish of Kilpatrick (also known as Kirkpatrick), the w ...

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 ...

Church in

Bearsden Bearsden () is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow. Approximately from Glasgow city centre, Glasgow City Centre, the town is effectively a suburb, and its housing development coincided with t ...

(then known as Newkirk) broke from the Established Church. Permission was sought from the

Relief Church The Relief Church (or Presbytery of Relief) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination founded in 1761. In 1847 it united with the United Secession Church to form the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. In relation to the history of the Church ...

. Thus, in 1788, the Kilpatrick Relief Church was established. Initially open-air services were held on Barloch Moor in a hollow beside the Tannoch Burn known as the "preaching braes". A church was finally built on the Barloch Estate, finished in 1799 at a cost of £500. After several mergers within the church and the constantly growing congregation, the construction of new church buildings became necessary at the end of the 19th century. First, in 1903, the Cairns Church (named after John Cairns) was completed. In 1903, a competition was held prior to the construction of St Paul's Church; a design by the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

architectural practice Leadbetter & Fairley won the competition.

Violet Graham, Duchess of Montrose Violet Hermione Graham, Duchess of Montrose GBE (10 September 1854 – 21 November 1940) was a British philanthropist and anti-suffragist. Graham served as president of the Scottish branch of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League. Her husban ...

laid the memorial stone on 20 May 1905. The church was opened on 12 January 1906. With the reintegration of most of the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

into the

in 1929, the parish of

was divided into three parishes. Although St Paul's Church was the largest building, it became the parish church of the smallest and most sparsely populated parish. Over the decades, the building has been constantly renovated. The original bell tower no longer exists.

Building description

When completed, the building was considered the finest church building in the Dumbarton area. The structure is made of roughly hewn red sandstone. The transept has, unusually, two gables on each side. The window design is based on late Gothic architecture.

References

External links

* {{Canmore, num=197645, desc=Milngavie, Strathblane Road, St Paul's Church Milngavie Category C listed buildings in East Dunbartonshire Churches completed in 1906 Listed churches in Scotland