Church Overview

The Church of Scotland planned to build three new churches for the new residents of Glenrothes, Scotland’s second New Town, of which St Columba’s was set to be the biggest. The relatively new architectural partnership of Anthony Wheeler & Frank Sproson was given this important commission for a church, hall and manse in 1958, initially with a very small budget of just £34,000 and only 40 weeks to build.

Wheeler and Sproson took the revolutionary step of collaborating on the design with the theologian Prof James Whyte, of St Mary’s College of St Andrews University. Whyte persuaded the architects and their client to return to the first principles of the Scottish Reformation in the new buildings liturgical layout, using the 1596 Burntisland Parish Church as their model. As a consequence, the sanctuary of St Columba’s (which opened in 1961) featured seating around three sides, with the Communion table in the centre.

Wheeler selected the Scottish artist Alberto Morrocco to create a magnificent mural, measuring 59 feet by 9 feet, for the sanctuary wall called “The Way of the Cross” showing scenes from the last days of Christ. The manse was demolished in the 1990s and the church and halls have required significant repairs and work over many years due to various structural issues. These were completed in 2016.

The iron bell-tower outside, which was once viewed as revolutionary and avant-garde, is now a beloved historic landmark in the centre of the town and a contributing factor in St Columba being awarded nationally important A-listed status in 2004.

Services

Sunday at 11am – All are welcome

Opening Arrangements

Open by arrangement

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.