Description

1877-78, Alexander Watt; hall extended 1881. Rectangular-plan Gothic church with buttresses dividing bays; pinnacles and bellcote to gable-end principal elevation ; double-gabled hall adjoining to E. Predominantly squared snecked tooled rubble; coursed to centre bay of principal elevation; ashlar buttresses; droved ashlar base course; droved margins to quoins. Base course to centre bay of principal elevation and to buttresses to W elevation; eaves course. Predominantly lancet windows to church; shouldered windows to hall.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: to left, 3-bay church; advanced central bay with angle buttresses and pinnacles above; apex gableted bellcote with bell; steps with flanking cast-iron lamp standards; 2-leaf timber-boarded door in columned pointed-arched doorpiece; flanked to by small cusp-headed windows, the whole with continuous hoodmould rising to finialled apex to centre; above, four light Geometric window with hoodmould. Linking church and hall, single bay formed of buttress with pointed-arched opening to ground, with 3 identical buttresses behind. Double-gabled hall; 2 windows to left gable with door and window to half basement beneath; right gable with steps leading to 2-leaf timber-boarded door with 2 shouldered boarded openings and hoodmould above.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: 8-bay elevation with slightly advanced gable to 6th bay from left; bipartite windows to 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th bays from left; hoodmoulded tripartite window to advanced bay.

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: 6-bay elevation.

N ELEVATION: to left, double-gable end of hall, 2 windows (blocked with brick) to each gable; lean-to extensions to ground floor of left gable; apex stack to left gable, brick stack between gables. 3-bay gable end of church adjoining to right; bays divided by buttresses; rose window to centre; 2-light geometric windows to left and right bays; wall head stack to left.

GLAZING etc: predominantly stained glass (see below) to W and N elevations; diamond and square quarries to S elevation; plain glazing to E elevation. Pitched graded slate roofs; ashlar coped skews with gableted skewputts.

BOUNDARY WALL: predominantly random rubble wall with droved saddle-back coping; to S, dwarf squared snecked wall with modern metal railings and square gate-piers surmounted by chamfered caps with pyramidal tops.

INTERIOR: original timber pews; walls mostly unplastered (see Notes); to W and S walls late 19th century stained glass windows; some 20th century to E wall; to rear, raking gallery supported by timber Corinthian columns; timber cornice; corbel table supporting king post roof with timber-boarded barrel ceiling to centre and flanking quadrant- section timber-boarded ceilings; entrance lobby: 2 wall-mounted war memorial plaques,

marble wall memorial to George Ure (see Notes), stained glass lantern (see Notes), to left, curving gallery stair with cast iron balusters. Hall: now subdivided; moulded cornice; 2 cast iron supporting columns to centre.

Statement of Interest

In ecclesiastical use.

Listed for local interest, contribution to streetscape and good timber roof and ceiling.

The principal founder of Bonnybridge Parish Church was George Ure, one of founding partners of Smith and Wellstood Ironfounders, whose Columbian Stove Works were situated in Bonnybridge.

Many of the stained glass windows are memorials to members of the Ure family, and the lantern hanging in the lobby is said to have come from George Ure's house, Wheatlands. Some of the furniture in the church came from St Helen's in High Bonnybridge when the two congregations amalgamated in the late 20th century.

The plaster was removed from the internal walls in 1957. The organ (located in the gallery) is by John Compton of London, circa 1960.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77781016

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)