St Peter's Church, Linlithgow is a parish of the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

in the town of Linlithgow,

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 ...

, in the

Diocese of Edinburgh The Diocese of Edinburgh is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers the City of Edinburgh, the Lothians, the Borders and Falkirk. The diocesan centre is St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. The Bishop of Edinburgh is ...

. Its historic

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, ...

on Linlithgow High Street is a Category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The church's origins as an organisation date back to 1912, when a group of local Episcopalians formed a group called the St Peter's Episcopal Mission. In its early years, the congregation had no permanent building, and at first used a variety of locations around the town: the Court Room of the Burgh Halls, a closed public house and an assortment of shops. They secured the use of a hall on the High Street, only for it to be requisitioned by the army in 1914. They then used the defunct Craigmailen United Free Church, but were forced to vacate the building due to dry rot. The congregation also used rooms owned by the Scotch Girls Friendly Society, then a room at the Palace Hotel. This situation lasted until 1924, when the congregation's Priest-in-Charge, Rev W.S. Snow, reported their plight to the Bishop of Edinburgh, G.H.S. Walpole. The bishop put down £100 to purchase a site on the High Street, and promised a further £500 towards the cost, this to come from a speaking tour he was about to give in the USA. Even with this, the first plan of architect J.W. Todd proved too costly, and the congregation could not have afforded the £1600 bill. A less ambitious £1000 design was later adopted. The church was required to slot into a space measuring just 26 feet in width. The church's unusual

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

design was chosen at least in part because it would alleviate the problem of letting sufficient light into such a narrow space with taller buildings on either side. The founding stone was laid by Colonel Maclaren of the Craigs on 18 May 1927, and the church was completed almost exactly a year later. Despite the fact that the congregation had always been named St Peter's, Bishop Walpole dedicated it to St Mildred, with whom his late wife had shared a name. The name reverted to St Peter's in 1978, though St Mildred is still featured on one of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary.

Organisation

The church is linked with St Columba's Church in nearby

Bathgate Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated sout ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Linlithgow Churches completed in 1928 Episcopal church buildings in Scotland Category B listed buildings in West Lothian Listed churches in Scotland Christian organizations established in 1912