(SMR 1466)
- NS 8884 8000
- NS 8889 8002
- NS 8882 8035
TIMELINE
1843 Falkirk Evangelical Union Church
1874 Howgate Evangelical Union Church
1893 Trinity Evangelical Union Church
1897 Trinity Congregational Church
1843: Rev Rutherford was expelled from the Erskine Church for holding “Morisonian” views. In May he and several others founded the Evangelical Union, and in June a large proportion of the Erskine congregation in Falkirk joined him in the purchase of the original building of the Congregational Church, then possessed by the Baptists (later occupied by Young’s furniture store in Bank Street, built 1802 demolished 1846).
1845: New building on the north side of Bank Street erected at a cost of £1,100, members of the congregation using their own carts to supply the building stone and thus reduce the cost. Builder, John Ramsey of Laurieston. Fronting onto Bank Street this presented a single storey with three ridged roofs aligned north/south. A central porch projected forward of the building to give architectural relief. It had a large arched entrance. (The building still remains as the lower storey of the later Bingo Hall, the church having been converted into a picture house in 1919. It is now a Wotherspoon Public house called Carron Works).
1846: The congregation split, the majority stayed with their minister, Mr Duncanson, and kept the building and communion plate in return for a payment of £230. The remainder followed Mr Rutherford who had spent a lot of time touring Scotland in the cause of the new denomination.
1850: Mr Rutherford’s followers moved to the old Cistern Lane Chapel, where services were held in Gaelic for Highlanders visiting the town during the Trysts.
1852: Mr Duncanson’s followers joined the Congregational Church, but the union was never consummated until January 1897.
1857: Cistern Lane Church closed, and in November the Evangelical Union Home Mission Commission set up a mission in the Assembly Hall, Wilson’s Buildings.
1859: Mission closed in January.
1872: Meetings were held on Sabbath mornings at Johnston’s Temperance Hotel. In July a preaching service was opened at the Corn Exchange.
1873: Such was the success of the preaching service that a new church was formed in January.
1874: The old Baptist chapel on the Howgate at the SW corner of Sword’s Wynd came onto the property market and the building was secured for the E.U. in June for £800 and overhauled. In 1876 the forms were replaced by seats with book rests.
1892: Three memorial stones laid in the lobby of a new building at the NE end of Meeks Road on 30th September. Designed by James Strang in the Gothic style, Falkirk and built by Messrs J. & P McLachlan of Larbert. Opened 11th June 1893.
1894, Jan: north wall and the roof of the Howgate building collapsed in a gale. The site was sold shortly afterwards but deprived the church of useful income.
1896: Another split. Rev Jackson and his followers were received by the Established Church to form St. Modan’s quad sacra church. The rest of the congregation united with the Congregation Church on the 1st of January the following year to be called Trinity Congregational Church. In May 1898 part of the Congregational Church were accepted into the United Presbyterian Church to form St. James’ U.P. Church in Thornhill Road.
1972: The Trinity Congregation united with the Methodist (James St), Church of Scotland (Grahams Rd & Bute St) congregations to form the Grahamston United Church.
ORGAN
1892: Presented by Mr Dougal of Arnotbank and erected by W.E. Richardson, Manchester.
1923: Enlarged.
SEATING
1845: 800-1000.
1891: New floor and seating.
1892: New church sat 500, and about 180 in the hall.
MINISTERS OF FALKIRK EVANGELICAL UNION CHURCH
| 1843 | Rutherford, Alexander Cuming | |
| Mar 1846 | Duncanson, Alexander | 1852 |
| Mitchell, Henry | ||
| Jun 1853 | MacCallum, Gilbert | Dec 1856 |
| Nov 1874 | Bell, George | 1877 |
| May 1878 | Spaven, John | Oct 1879 |
| Mar 1880 | Morton, John | 1881 |
| Feb 1882 | King, John Liddle | 1884 |
| Feb 1885 | Jackson, Robert Winchester | May 1896 |
| Oct 1896 | Pollock, Alexander | Aug 1904 |
| Aug 1904 | Scanlan, George | Nov 1916 |
| Apr 1917 | Hall, James | |
| Downie, William | ||
| Philip, Robert |
G.B. Bailey (2019)
Falkirk Local History Society 