(SMR 941)
NS 8922 8000
Falkirk Episcopal Church
TIMELINE
1790s: Fortnightly services held at Carron.
1841, Nov: Meeting held in Falkirk to establish a congregation in the town.
1850s: Children, and parents, of the Episcopal Church, Falkirk, baptised at St. Andrew’s, Dunmore. Services held by the Dunmore clergy in Wilson’s Buildings.
1858: Services held in a schoolroom lent by the Presbyterians in Bainsford.
1859: Rector appointed, services in Wilson’s Hall again.
1860: Mission given up due to lack of funds.
1861: Autumn services resumed by Dunmore clergy at Wilson’s Hall.
1862: Site mid way between Marion’s Well and Callendar Estate West gate, south of Callendar Road obtained.
1863, 8 May: Foundation stone laid on a new site gifted by William Forbes of Callendar House. Consecrated 13 April the following year. The style is Norman, or Early Pointed, designed by R. Roward Anderson, architect, Edinburgh. It consists of a four bay nave with a porch at the NW corner, a south transept opening through two of the bays, a chancel with organ aisle, semi-circular apse and a vestry under the organ aisle. The open timber roof has principals with circular braces, diagonal ties, purlins and common rafters. The nave is lighted by plain single-light pointed windows. The window in the west gable has two tall lights with a circular and foiled openings over them. The chancel and apse have five narrow pointed headed windows and a two-light with plate tracery enclosed in an outer pointed arch. Buttresses are placed on the angles of the building and at right angles to the principal of the roof. The west gable is surmounted by a ceramic cross, whilst the east gable has a bellcote at the junction of the nave and chancel. The chancel arch is of dressed and moulded stone and springs from moulded and carved corbelled shafts. The interior is brick lined. The chancel was fitted up with an altar table and rail, prayer and choir desks, with the pulpit on the north wall – all stained and varnished deal. The open pews of the nave are also stained deal. The nave measures 46ft by 21ft and some 20ft tall; the chancel being 25ft by 17ft. James Law, Falkirk, was the mason for the work which is chiefly freestone rubble with a band of red sandstone towards the wall head to give a polychrome finish. The cost was £1,350.
1878: New room for Sunday school added (wooden hut).
1902: Redecoration and extension. The south aisle known as the Lady Chapel.
1927: Hall opened at a cost of £1,550 to seat 300 with kitchen, cloakroom, etc. It was designed by Copland & Blakey, architects, on the Livingston alternative method type. It also had a cinematograph operating chamber.
2005c: Crypt dedicated to St Andrew. It had been used as a song school.
RECTORY
This large Victorian villa lies immediately to the east of the church. When the church hall was demolished, c1990, the ground floor of the rectory was converted for community use.
FITTINGS
1864: A carved stone font under the west window was gifted by the Rev Cave-Brown and his family. Communion plate given by Mr and Mrs Forbes of Callendar House; altar cloth by Master Forbes.
Eagle lectern gifted by Rev J Hannan DCL, warden of Trinity College, Glenalmond.
1895: Metal screen by Carron Co?
ORGAN
1896: New organ by Abbot and Smith, Glasgow.
BELL
1863: The east gable is surmounted by a belfry provided with a 10 cwt bell (note C) fitted up by Begden and Son, George Street, Edinburgh, and gifted by the bishop and coadjutor.
WINDOW
See separate entry for stained glass.
WAR MEMORIAL
See separate entry for War Memorial
CHURCHYARD
1871: Officially closed; only one boy was ever buried there.
MINISTERS OF CHRIST CHURCH
| 1850s | Grub {provost, rector of St. Andrews} | |
| 1858 | Hinxman, C | |
| Jul 1859 | Sutherland, G | |
| Aug 1861 | Smith, T. Hill {of St. Andrews} | |
| Mar 1862 | Cave-Brown, W. H. {of St. Andrews} | |
| Rudd, A | ||
| Nov 1864 | Sutcliffe, James Charles | 1876 |
| 1876 | Brooke, James Mark | Aug 1881 |
| Dec 1882 | Newham, John | May 1894 |
| May 1894 | Wright, Francis Ellington | 1915 |
| 1915 | Jenkins, W. H | 1919 |
| Jul 1917 | Newell, Robert James | |
| Oct 1919 | Ballard, John Murray | Nov 1924 |
| 1924 | Tonge, G.P | 1930 |
| Jul 1930 | Samwell, E.H | Feb 1936 |
| Jun 1936 | Ramsay, I.E.St.Clair | 1944 |
| 1944 | Martineau, G.E | 1949 |
| 1949 | Lawson, J MacMillan | 1954 |
| 1954 | Clark, R.J.V | 1969 |
| 1969 | Trimble, John A | March 1986 |
| Jul 1986 | Bruno, David A | Dec 1995 |
| Sep 1996 | McCosh, Duncan | Jan 2003 |
| Oct 2003 | Penman, John | March 2010 |
| Oct 2010 | Innes, Ruth |
G.B. Bailey (2019)
Falkirk Local History Society 