Bellshill Central Parish church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bellshill Central Parish Church |
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Bellshill Central Parish Church
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| Location | 346 Main Street, Bellshill, ML4 1BA |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bellshill |
| Presbytery | Hamilton Presbytery |
Bellshill Central Parish Church is a church that belongs to the Church of Scotland. It serves the areas of Bellshill town centre, Mossend, Milnwood, and Orbiston. It's part of the Hamilton Presbytery, which is a group of churches in the area.
Contents
The Church Building
The main church building and its hall were designed by David Clunas. They were built in 1874. The church is built in a style called Gothic. This means it has pointed arches and tall windows, like many old cathedrals.
The church has a rectangular shape with pointed gables, which are the triangular parts of the wall at the end of a roof. It has strong stone supports called buttresses. The windows are tall and narrow, with rounded corners and stone dividers called mullions.
The church is set back from the main road. The front entrance has a pointed-arch wooden door. On either side of the door are tall, narrow windows. Above the door is a large, triple window with decorative stone patterns. At the very top of the roof is a fancy metal decoration. A small stone wall with railings surrounds the church.
Inside, there's a gallery, which is like a balcony, and an entrance area called a narthex. Stairs lead up to the gallery from the narthex. The lower part of the walls has wooden panels. There are wooden pews, which are long benches for people to sit on. Iron columns support the gallery.
The communion table is in front of the wooden pulpit, which is where the minister speaks from. Behind the pulpit is a large wooden organ. One special thing about the church is its many beautiful stained glass windows. These windows are in the main part of the church and the narthex. The newest stained glass window was made by a church member named Lesley Marshall.
The Church Hall
The Church Hall is right behind the main church building. You can get to it from either side of the church. The hall was updated after the church sold its old minister's house and another hall. The hall building has a large main room, toilets for men, women, and disabled people, an office, and a big kitchen.
Church History
Bellshill Central Parish Church was formed when two older churches, MacDonald Memorial and Orbiston Churches, joined together. The Church of Scotland decided that the buildings at 346 Main Street, which used to be MacDonald Memorial Church, would be used by the new united church. The old Orbiston church buildings are now used by the Orbiston Neighbourhood Centre for community activities.
MacDonald Memorial Church
MacDonald Memorial Church started in 1873 as a "Free Church Mission." This meant it was a new church outreach project. Services were first held in the Mossend school. The church officially became a recognized congregation in 1874.
The area's population grew quickly because of coal mines and iron works. This helped the church grow too. In 1875, it had 143 members. By 1900, it had grown to 477 members! The first minister was William Macdonald. The church was renamed after him in 1912.
Orbiston Parish Church
Orbiston Parish Church was built later than many others in the area, after World War II. It began as a temporary church in a wooden hall. The first dedication service for this hall was on March 9, 1954.
As more people joined, a new church building was constructed on Busby Road. Its dedication service was on September 13, 1956. The first Sunday service in the new building was led by Minister Rev Albert F Bolton on September 16, 1956. By 1966, the church had almost 500 members. It joined with Bellshill St Andrews Church in October 1980. Then, in 2001, it joined with MacDonald Memorial Church to form Bellshill Central Parish Church.
The Church Organ
Bellshill Central Parish Church has a special pipe organ made by the H. Hildson organ company in Glasgow. It's quite rare!
This organ has two keyboards for the hands and pedals for the feet. It has 17 different sounds, called stops, and other features. In 2015, it was refurbished by Michael and Andrew Macdonald, who are organ builders from Glasgow. Even though its internal system was updated from pneumatic to electric, the sound of the organ has stayed the same since it was built in 1930. It is even listed on the National Pipe Organ Register.
