St Andrew's-by-the-Green is an 18th-century
category-A-listed former church in
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. A
Qualified Chapel, it was the first
Episcopalian
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...
church built in the city. It is situated on the corner of Turnbull Street and Greendyke Street, overlooking
Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
, on the edge of the city's East End.
History
Construction on the church began in 1750, and ended in 1751
or 1752,
according to different sources. It is the oldest Episcopalian Church building erected in Scotland since the Reformation,
and one of the oldest church buildings in Glasgow. The nearby
St Andrew's in the Square was started in 1739 and completed in 1757, making St Andrew's by the Green the fourth-oldest church building in Glasgow by date of starting construction, or third-oldest by date of completion, the earlier two being
Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral () is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Glasgow, and the mother church of the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the province of Glasgow, from the 12th ...
and the
Trongate steeple. It is a symmetrical
classical building.
The design was produced by Andrew Hunter, himself a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
, and construction undertaken by
masons Andrew Hunter and William Paul, and
wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...
Thomas Thomson.
Hunter was called before his Kirk Session and excommunicated from the Church of Scotland for producing the work. The entire cost of the building was £1,250 12s 9½d, comprising £90 5s 0d for purchase of the site, £420 6s 5d for stonework and £740 1s 4½d on the interior.
Because of the church's situation by a low-lying part of
Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
, it was frequently flooded before the parkland was levelled to protect it from the river.
There was an historic split between the
Hanoverian-supporting
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
and the
Jacobite-supporting
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...
, who believed
Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
to be the true monarch. Following the failed
Jacobite rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
, many Episcopalian congregations resigned themselves to a Hanoverian monarchy and agreed to use the English
Prayer Book
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
and pray for the Hanoverians, becoming
Qualified Chapels; St Andrew's Episcopal Church was one of these.
Following the death of Charles Edward Stuart in 1788, almost all of the qualified chapels merged into the Scottish Episcopal Church; the St Andrew's congregation joined the Episcopal Church in 1805. However, one congregation in Glasgow, led by the Reverend Alexander Jamieson, continued independently until Jamieson's death in 1825. Jamieson is buried at St Andrew's-by-the-Green, his grave marked with a Celtic cross. His congregation subsequently built a chapel on Renfield Street, named St Mary's, in 1826. The building was inspired by
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal peculiar, Royal Peculia ...
, but was demolished in the late nineteenth century, when the congregation built
St Mary's Cathedral on
Great Western Road. The building opened in 1871 as St Mary's Church and was raised to cathedral status in 1908.
The depopulation of the centre of Glasgow in mid-twentieth century reduced the congregation to the point that the church was no longer viable, the last service held in the building in April 1975. By 1978, the Church had become a target for vandals, and the
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
and other valuable items were moved to safety within the
People's Palace on
Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
.
Organ
St Andrew's was the first church in Glasgow to install an organ for public worship, resulting in the nickname, "Whistlin' Kirk" or the "Kist o' Whistles".
It was purchased from the
Qualified Chapel in Edinburgh's Carrubber's Close when that congregation moved to another building. The organ had been built by
John Snetzler in 1747, and was moved into St Andrew's-by-the-Green in 1775, although it is thought not to have been used for worship until 1777.
It was enlarged by a pupil of Snetzler's, John Donaldson of York, in 1788, and replaced entirely in 1812. The old organ was sold to the Glasgow Unitarians' new chapel in Union Street in 1813, and moved with them to their new home on St Vincent Street in 1856. This church was subsequently demolished in 1982, and the organ, by now the oldest in the city, was gifted to the
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
, in whose Concert Hall it now stands.
Renovation
The church was acquired in 1985 by the Christian Action (Glasgow) Housing Trust as office accommodation for its parent organisation, West of Scotland Housing Association. A major fundraising effort, aided by the late
John Crichton-Stuart, 6th Marquess of Bute, raised the £600,000 required to renovate the building. In June 2003, it became the headquarters of the Glasgow Association for Mental Health.
See also
*
St Andrew's in the Square
*
St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow
The Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, commonly called St Mary's Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is located on the Great Western Road, in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. The current building was opened on 9 ...
*
James Frederick Skinner Gordon, minister 1844–90
References
External links
An image of the church at GlasgowGuide.co.ukImages of the church at geograph.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andrews-By-The-Green
Former churches in Scotland
Category A listed buildings in Glasgow
Listed churches in Glasgow
Episcopal church buildings in Glasgow
Glasgow Green
Churches completed in 1752
Religious organizations disestablished in 1975