Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Queen's Park Govanhill |
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| Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church | |
The church in 2017
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| 55°50′05″N 4°16′11″W / 55.834807°N 4.269656°W | |
| Location | Glasgow |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Website | Church Website |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Architect(s) | James Thompson |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Neo-Gothic |
| Years built | 1874–1875 |
| Groundbreaking | 28 February 1874 |
| Completed | 16 May 1875 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Queen's Park Govanhill |
| Presbytery | Presbytery of Glasgow |
Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church is an old church in the south side of Glasgow, Scotland. It is part of the Church of Scotland. The church is named after the nearby Queen's Park. It has been an important part of the local community for many years.
Contents
Building a New Church
How the Church Started
The church began as the Queen's Park Free Church. This was a group of people who belonged to the Free Church of Scotland. They formed their group in December 1866.
Designing and Building the Church
The church building you see today was designed by an architect named James Thomson. Construction started in 1874 and finished in 1875. The first stone was laid on February 28, 1874, by Patrick Playfair. He was a special official called the Lord Dean of Guild.
The church was completed in just over a year. It officially opened and was ready for use on May 16, 1875. The building is in the Neo-Gothic style. This means it looks like old Gothic churches from the Middle Ages. It has a tall spire on one corner. The church halls, which are other rooms for church activities, were added a few years later in 1879.
Changes Over Time
New Names for the Church
Over the years, the church's name changed several times. This happened as different church groups in Scotland joined together.
- In 1900, the Free Church of Scotland joined with another group. The church was then called Queen's Park West United Free Church.
- In 1929, this group joined with the main Church of Scotland. The church's name changed again to Queen's Park West Parish Church.
Joining with Other Churches
The church also joined with other local churches. This helped to keep the community strong.
- In 1979, Strathbungo Parish Church closed. Its members joined Queen's Park West. The church was then called Strathbungo Queen's Park.
- In 2000, another church, Crosshill Queen's Park Parish, joined. This church was itself a union of two older churches. The combined church was named Queen's Park Parish Church.
- The most recent change happened in 2014. The members of Govanhill Trinity Church joined. This led to the church's current name: Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church.
Inside the Church
Art and Design
The inside of the church has a special design. It has balconies, called galleries, with two rows of cast-iron columns. The ceiling is shaped like a barrel. There are also beautiful stained glass windows made by Daniel Cottier. Some old wall decorations were found and fixed in 2008.
Remembering History
A special window was added after WWII (World War II). It remembers Jane Haining, a Scottish missionary. She was arrested and died in a concentration camp during the war.
The church also has memorials to remember people from different local churches who served in wars. These memorials came from churches that later joined with Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church. The church building was also repaired and improved between the late 1990s and 2006.
