Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

Charles Menart, 1907-8. Cruciform-plan gable-fronted Gothic church with prominent twin spires and polygonal chancel. Rock-faced squared snecked yellow sandstone rubble with droved margins and ashlar dressings. Large pointed arch windows with stone panel tracery above main entrance and to transepts. Squat pointed arch clerestory windows. Segmental-headed windows in round-trefoil surrounds. Fine interior decorative scheme. Later 20th century presbytery buildings to N.

SW (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: double entrance with timber-panelled doors. Cusped pointed-arch tympana with continuous hoodmould in a panel of smooth ashlar with stepped string course above; niche between two doors. Large central pointed-arched window with stepped splays and bracketed hoodmould. Projecting skew to gable with clover-leaf cross finial. Square-plan 2-stage corner towers with trefoil-headed windows rising to octagonal-plan with corner gablets and windows to main elevations. Short octagonal spires with tall lucarnes. Low single bays with tall gabled lancets abutting towers.

SE ELEVATION: single bay with tall blind lancet panel, followed by single-storey pitch-roofed aisle with 5 small rectangular windows and single door to left. 3-bay clerestorey. Large transept window with low flat-roofed projection below. Single-storey Lady Chapel with 3 bays of rectangular windows below canted chancel window.

NE ELEVATION : chancel with mullioned Gothic windows to canted bays. Two segmental-headed windows to Lady Chapel (right).

NW ELEVATION : as SE but with blank 2-storey end bay to rear.

INTERIOR: substantially marbled interior, including variety of colours, especially to sanctuary and nave. Gothic nave arcades on black marble columns. Timber boarded gallery. Timber truss roof, gilded in sanctuary. Leaded windows, predominantly plain with bands of blue and green. Mosaic of Christ over altar with Gothic baldachin. Square-paned leaded stained glass to chancel. Stained glass to Lady Chapel and to baptistery.

Large panel tracery leaded windows with bands of blue and green panes. Graded grey slates, straight skews, gabletted skewputts. Cast iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers.

PRESBYTERY: late 20th century 2-storey slate-roofed house with large picture windows.

BOUNDARY WALLS: rock-faced boundary wall to front with chamfered copes. Square-plan gatepiers with octagonal copes. Cast iron railings.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception is an early work by one of the leading designers for the Catholic Church in early 20th century Scotland. The church has an exceptionally rich interior containing a good collection of stained glass windows.

The Catholic Church in Bathgate, after using several temporary premises, acquired the former 'Auld Lichts' church in Livery Street in 1855, which they used until it was demolished for the present church.

Some changes have been carried out to the interior of the church, specifically to the altar as the result of changes in Catholic liturgy in the 1960s following the second Vatican Council. This included the removal of the high altar, the choir gallery in the chancel and the bronze altar-rail. The winter chapel was converted to a Lady Chapel in 1954. A description of the opening describes ten carved oak stalls within the sanctuary, which have been removed. The mosaic of Christ Pantocrator is said to be a direct copy of one of the Greek churches in Rome.

There are three windows by William Wilson (1905-72) in the church, including the Annunciation and Assumption in the Lady Chapel and the 1959 Baptism of Christ in the original baptistery.

The date for construction of the church varies in different publications. The confusion arises from the fact that the earlier church was upgraded in both 1858 and in 1888, before being demolished.

Charles J Menart was a popular architect within the Roman Catholic church in Scotland. A number of churches and church interiors are known to have been after his designs. Menart's early work was in designing housing in Perth (by Menart and Jarvie). Early interior work on existing churches was carried out at St Peter's, Buckie in 1907 and it is not long after this that Menart began his work in Bathgate. The peak of Menart's career seems to have been around 1910 when he was responsible for the A-listed Church of the Sacred Heart (1909-10)

and St Aloysius (1908-10), both in Glasgow. Also by Menart is St Joseph's RC Church, Helensburgh (1911). The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Bathgate is at this time the earliest known church by Menart. In 1907 Menart worked on St Peter's Church, Buckie (A & W Reid, 1850-57, see seperate listing) and the Bathgate church bears a striking resemblance to it, including the twin towers, double entrance and lucarnes to the spire. However the details at Bathgate are uniquely Menart.

References

Bibliography

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.