Grahamston Parish Church

(SMR 952)

NS 8894 8075

?1972 Grahamston United Church

TIMELINE

1875: Disjoined from Falkirk and erected a parish “quad sacra” by Court of Teinds on 6th December. Church built in the same year in Bute Street to a design by Thomas B. M’Fadyean, an Edinburgh architect. Memorial stone laid in October. It is in the early French style of Gothic and dominated by a 120ft tall steeple of North Italian Gothic. This has a belfry stage of three stilted arches on each face and a short slated spire with slated angle pinnacles integrated into it. The west gable fronts Bute Street and is constructed of snecked rubble. It has two two-light windows flanked by the dwarf pyramid roofed 62ft tower on the north and the tower mentioned above on the south. James Gardner was the mason for the work. The main building cost £2,807 and the tower and spire £642. It was opened in January 1876. Church hall built at a cost of £2100.

1898: April. New hall opened. Church repainted and lead glass fitted.

1972 Sep: Linked with the Methodist (James Street), Trinity Congregation (Meeks Road), and Church of Scotland (Grahams Road) churches to form the Grahamston United Church.

1975: October. Union with the linked churches completed.

MANSE

1911: Purchased.

FITTINGS

1934: Communion table and choir stalls gifted by the congregation and dedicated to the memory of Rev. Taylor.

ORGAN

1903: Cost £650, £300 of which came from Dr Carnegie.

BELL

1875: This bears the following inscription: “GRAHAMSTON PARISH CHURCH./THE GIFT OF JAMES BAIRD/OF AUCHMEDDAN./JOHN C.WILSON, FOUNDER./GLASGOW A.D.1875./VOCO VENITE IN DOMINI TEMPLUM” (I call, come ye into the temple of the Lord). It is 42ins in diameter across the mouth and weighs 1944 lbs.

WINDOW

See separate entry for stained glass.

WAR MEMORIAL

See separate entry for War Memorials

SEATING

1875: 800, 270 in the gallery.

MINISTERS OF GRAHAMSTON PARISH CHURCH

Feb 1876	Campbell, Duncan	Nov 1880
Apr 1881	Taylor, Andrew Ross	Mar 1926
Oct 1926	Pollock, James Ferrier	1937
Apr 1937	McCulloch, Ian Forbes	Feb 1960
Sep 1960	Simpson, James Alexander	Apr 1966
Sep 1966	Craig, Maxwell Davidson	Jan 1973
Oct 1973	McDonald, William Gordon	Oct 1975
1976	MacClements, Duncan E.
	Wilkie, Ian	died 2019