St Andrew's in the Square 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 ...

, considered one of the finest classical churches in Scotland, and now Glasgow's Centre for Scottish Culture, promoting Scottish music, song and dance. The church is in St Andrew's Square, near

Glasgow Cross Glasgow Cross is at the hub of the ancient royal burgh and now city of Glasgow, Scotland, close to its first crossing over the River Clyde. It marks the notional boundary between the city centre and the East End As a major junction at the gate ...

and

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

The church, inspired by

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

in London, was built between 1739 and 1756 by

Master Mason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Mungo Naismith, and designed by Allan Dreghorn. While construction of it was started before the nearby St Andrew's-by-the-Green, it was completed after, making it either the third or fourth oldest church in Glasgow, depending on criterion. The earlier two buildings were

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 was the first Presbyterian church built after the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, and was commissioned by the city's Tobacco Lords as a demonstration of their wealth and power. The church was enclosed by a later square, built by William Hamilton between 1786 and 1787, which became fashionable homes for some of Glasgow's wealthiest merchants. The migration of the city westwards throughout the 19th century, however, resulted in a gradual slumming of the area and a dwindling congregation. The church was last used for a religious service in June 1993. St Andrew's has played its part in Scottish history; in December 1745, before the church's completion, the Jacobite army, led by

Bonnie Prince Charlie 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, ...

, camped around the site, and within its semi-built walls, on its return from their failed battles in England. On 23 November 1785, huge crowds of Glaswegians gathered to watch Vincenzo Lunardi take off from the churchyard in a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

on a flight which took him south-east to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and

Lanark Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...

, before eventually landing in

Hawick Hawick ( ; ; ) is a town in the Scottish Borders council areas of Scotland, council area and counties of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east o ...

Agnes Maclehose Agnes Maclehose (26 April 1758 – 23 October 1841Scotland's People, Death record of Agnes Craig or McIhose (OPR Deaths 685/03 0340 0368 CANONGATE)), or Agnes Craig, known to her friends as Nancy

(née Craig) married her husband James Maclehose in the church in 1776; Agnes is better known as Clarinda whose love letters to Robert Burns under the name Sylvander inspired him to write " Ae Fond Kiss" for her.

Notable ministers

* Gavin Gibb,

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

in 1817.

Renovation

At the congregation's request, the church was acquired from them by the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust in October 1993 for the sum of £1. The Trust has since renovated the building, transforming it into a Centre for Traditional Scottish Music, Song and Dance. Victorian additions to the building have been removed, restoring the church's original light and airy feel, while a 4-5 metre deep excavation of the floor produced a basement cafe as well as dressing rooms, rehearsal space and toilets. The building was officially opened to the public on 30 November 2000; St Andrew's Day.

Awards

The renovation of St Andrew's in the Square has won the following awards: *

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Diploma * Civic Trust Commendation *Glasgow Institute of Architects Special Award *Scottish Award for Quality in Planning *Dynamic Place Award *

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental ...

Commendation

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:St Andrew's In The Square Former churches in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Churches completed in 1756 Listed churches in Glasgow Clock towers in the United Kingdom