Laurieston Parish Church

(SMR 830)

NS 9131 7940

St. Columba

TIMELINE

1889:  Mission station of Falkirk Parish Church set up in an old bake-house at the corner of George Street, Laurieston.

1893:  Present church built as a chapel of ease with a constitution on land feued from Mr Rankine of Pilton Cottage.   Foundation stone laid 31st July.  The architects were A and W Black, with Mr Learmouth as mason.  Completed 1896 at a cost of £1000.  The design is Gothic and the construction was so arranged  that,  although complete in itself, the south gable could  easily  be removed  and transepts and a choir added to give a cruciform plan and a  larger church.   The principal features were the four-light window in the north gable that fronts Polmont Road and the entrance porch on the west.  Lancet windows in the side walls occurred in the bays formed by the buttresses.  At the rear a vestry and hall were provided.  A raised platform at the south end held the minister’s table and desk.  The site was then at the east end of the village, which was growing in that direction.

1905:  Plans by Messrs Hamilton, architects, used for an extension, which cost £1000.  Ramsay Bros, masons.

1914: Promoted to a Quad sacra parish on 10th July.

1945: United with Laurieston West on 25th April.

1980: Linked with Redding and Westquarter.

FITTINGS

1896:  The old pulpit from the Falkirk Parish Church was installed to replace the pulpit desk.

BELL

1896: Cast by John C. Wilson.

WINDOW

See separate entry for stained glass.

WAR MEMORIAL

See separate entry for War Memorial.

SEATING

1893: 260 persons.

MINISTERS OF LAURIESTON PARISH CHURCH

Jun 1896Brownlie, CharlesMay 1898
Aug 1898 Allen, Thomas NelsonOct 1899
Feb 1900 Dron, John ArchibaldSep 1908
Dec 1908 Robb, Alexander BarrieJan 1939
Sep 1939 McLean, Neil AlexanderMay 1944
Oct 1945 Smart, Robert MarshallMay 1958
Dec 1958 Brown, Gavin Shanks1980
Sep 1980 McDowell, Ronald J.June 2001
June 2001 Smart, Geoffrey H. 

G.B. Bailey (2019)