Websters is a theatre 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. It also operates as a bar and restaurant. Websters occupies the building of the 19th-century former Lansdowne Parish Church.

Early years of the church

The building was founded as the Lansdowne United Presbyterian Church. It was built between 1862 and December 1863 in the

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style, on designs by

John Honeyman John Honeyman (1729August 18, 1822) was an American spy and British informant for George Washington, primarily responsible for spreading disinformation and gathering the intelligence crucial to Washington's victory in the Battle of Trenton. ...

. The total cost amounted to £12,400. A spire was built with a height of 66.5 metres (218 feet), which today is considered a Glasgow iconic landmark and one of the slimmest spires in Europe. In 1900, the church was renamed Lansdowne United Free Church, while in 1929, after the union with 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 ...

, it was renamed Lansdowne Parish Church. Great Western Bridge over the River Kelvin

Works of art

In 1865, three stained glass windows, designed by

Ward and Hughes Ward and Hughes (formerly Ward and Nixon) was the name of an English company producing stained-glass windows. History Ward and Hughes was proceeded by the company Ward and Nixon, whose studio was at 67 Frith Street, Soho. They created large windo ...

were installed in the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

, with others added in 1873. A number of stained glass windows were also added in 1913 by Alfred Webster, and in the 1950s by his son Gordon Webster. A war memorial

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

by Evelyn Beale was built in 1923. In 1911, the pipe organ, the work of

Norman and Beard Norman and Beard were a pipe organ manufacturer based in Norwich from 1887 to 1916. History The origins of the company are from a business founded in Diss in 1870 by Ernest William Norman (1851–1927). In 1876 he moved to Norwich where he wen ...

, was installed.

Closure and conversion

The church continued to function as a

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

till 2014, when the parish was united with Kelvin Stevenson parish, forming the Kelvinbridge Parish Church. The parish decided to use the

Kelvin Stevenson Memorial Church Kelvinbridge Parish Church, also known as the Kelvin Stevenson Memorial Church, is a Church of Scotland parish church, serving part of the North Kelvinside area of Glasgow, Scotland. The church is within the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Gla ...

as their church building, and the Lansdowne church building was sold.

Present use

In 2014, the church was sold and converted into a theatre, which also included a bar and restaurant in the former church halls. The building was renamed Websters in honour of Alfred Websters who designed some of the stained glass windows of the church. In 2017, the venue was briefly closed after masonry fell from the steeple.Horne, Mar
"Falling masonry closes landmark Websters Theatre"
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 4 August 2017, London. Retrieved on 30 July 2020. The current theatre can seat up to a 188 seats and holds numerous concerts and shows throughout the year. It also contains a Playhouse which seats 55 people.

References

{{Authority control 1862 establishments in Scotland 19th-century Church of Scotland church buildings Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Former churches in Scotland Listed theatres in Scotland Music venues in Glasgow Restaurants in Glasgow Theatres in Glasgow