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Summary

Description

1874. Gothic church, cruciform-plan, square 3-stage tower with broach spire to E corner and round 2-stage tower setback from S corner, gabled porch. Squared and snecked yellow sandstone coursers with ashlar margins. Base course, gallery height string course, predominantly flowing tracery to lancet windows with hoodmoulds to principal openings.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: stone steps 2-leaf door within gabled porch to centre; double chamfered pointed entrance arch, engaged supporting columns with stiffleaf capitals, hoodmoulds with foliate stops, trefoil to gablehead, cross finial, crocketted stone finial to apex of gable. Small lancets to flanking bays, continuous cill course. Large 4-light window with quatrefoil to gablehead, block finial to apex. Square tower to outer right bay; continuous hoodmoulds to openings, string course between stages. 4-centered-arched door to ground, staggered small cusped lancets to right return; tripartite window to 2nd stage, engaged columns to mullions, trefoil above; bowed oriel on fan corbel to centre of left return, staggered lancets, stepped string course; paired lancets below 3rd stage string course. Battered to 3rd stage; tripartite arcaded opening to belfry, engaged columns to mullions, clock face above. Corbelled, crenellated parapet, corner canon spouts. Broach spire. Squat, 2-stage round tower to outer left bay; double-moulded, 4-centred arch door to SE, tall lancet to S of 2nd stage, small lancet to SE; billeted cornice, conical roof.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining church hall.

NE (SIDE) ELEVATION: 5-bay nave; tower to outer left bay; regular fenestration to bays to right; bipartite shouldered arch windows to ground, bipartite lancets with gabled dormerheads breaking eaves to gallery. Advanced gabled transept to outer right bay; bipartite to ground with flanking windows; tripartite lancet to gablehead, blind below transom, cill course.

SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: mirror to NE.

Diamond and circle pattern leaded glass. Graded grey slates, lead flashing. Saw-tooth skews with gablet skewputts. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: double doors from narrow vestibule through to nave; 4-bay, arcaded nave, stiffleaf capitals to cast-iron columns; moulded architrave to square-plan chancel. Tiered gallery to SE end, reached from vestibule via flanking stair towers.

CHURCH HALL: Charles Menzies, 1896. 2-storey, T-plan, gabled hall and offices. Tripartite reticulated pointed arch windows to gable ends, stone mullions and transom, blind beneath transom, cill course. Regular fenestration to returns, shouldered arch windows. Forestairs to NE. 2-storey, 4-bay, advanced, gabled vestry wing to SW return. Narrow, 2-storey, 3-bay gabled link between hall and chancel of church, nepus gables, door to centre of SE elevation. Modern addition to NW rear gable end. Diamond leaded windows, grey slates, lead flashing, cast-iron rainwater goods.

BOUNDARY WALL: low, saddleback coped wall; square-plan gabled piers, quatrefoils to gableheads. Modern cast-iron railings.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. The Heritors Minutes record that it was first proposed in 1871 that the parish church should be moved 'to a new and more commodious site at Motherwell...more central for the general population'. The present site on Merry St was exchanged with the Caledonian Railway Company for an acre of land belonging to the Duke of Hamilton. The new church was to hold 1200 'sittings' with private pews for the Heritors, who included the Duke of Hamilton, Lord Belhaven and Stenton (who already had pews at Cambusnethan Church) and the Hamiltons of Dalzell. The 'services of an architect of standing' were sought and the plans for the new church were approved by the Heritors in 1872. The church was opened in 1874, 'erected according to the plans'. Unfortunately the architect and builders were appointed by a subcommittee of the Heritors whose minutes have not been preserved with the other church records. Similarities of style and form, however, suggest that the design was probably by the same architect as Thornlie Parish Church, Wishaw, that is David Thomson (see separate listing).

References

Bibliography

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