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 Glasgow, Scotland. It is part of the Church of Scotland. The church is located in the south side of Glasgow, close to Queen's Park. Its name comes from this nearby park.
Contents
Building the Church
How the Church Started
The church began as the Queen's Park Free Church. This was a group of people who were part of the Free Church of Scotland. The group first came together in December 1866.
Design and Construction
The church building you see today was designed by an architect named James Thomson. It was built between 1874 and 1875. The first stone was laid on February 28, 1874. This was done by Patrick Playfair, a local official. The church was finished in just over a year. It officially opened on May 16, 1875.
The church was built in a style called Neo-Gothic. This style looks like old medieval churches. It has a tall spire on one corner. The church halls, which are other rooms for church activities, were added in 1879.
How the Church Changed Over Time
Early Name Changes
In 1900, two church groups, the Free Church of Scotland and the United Presbyterian Church, joined together. They formed the United Free Church of Scotland. Because of this, the church's name changed to Queen's Park West United Free Church.
Later, in 1929, the United Free Church of Scotland joined with the Church of Scotland. The church's name changed again to Queen's Park West Parish Church.
Joining with Other Churches
Over the years, Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church has joined with several other local churches. This helped keep the church strong and active.
- 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 with Strathbungo Queen's Park. The church building that is now Queen's Park Govanhill was kept. The new name became Queen's Park Parish Church.
- The most recent change happened in 2014. The people from Govanhill Trinity Church joined Queen's Park. They chose the new name Queen's Park Govanhill Parish Church.
Inside the Church
Beautiful Art and Windows
The inside of the church has a special design. It has balconies with two rows of cast-iron columns. The ceiling is shaped like a barrel.
The church also has many beautiful stained glass windows. Some of these were made by Daniel Cottier. In 2008, some old wall decorations were found and cleaned up.
Remembering Heroes
After WWII, a special window was added. It was made by Douglas Hamilton. This window remembers Jane Haining. She was a missionary from the Church of Scotland. She was taken to a place called Auschwitz concentration camp and sadly passed away there in July 1944.
The church also has memorials that remember people from different wars. These memorials came from other churches that joined Queen's Park Govanhill over the years. Some of these old churches are now used for other purposes, like flats or community centers.
Renovations
The church building was greatly improved and fixed up between the late 1990s and 2006.
