Church Overview

The congregation at Blawarthill, in the Scotstoun area of Glasgow, was established in 1940 to service the needs of this growing suburb of the city. The current church opened in October 1964, replacing a “Hall Church” built in 1941, that was designed by Scottish architect James Taylor Thomson. Just two weeks after the original building opened its doors, as Blawarthill Parish Church, a Luftwaffe incendiary bomb ripped through its roof, amazingly causing relatively minor damage that was quickly repaired. 

As the congregation grew after the war, a larger building was deemed necessary. Lacking the requisite funds for a fully completed church, an architect and building firm were contracted to design and erect the walls and roof. The minister then formed a team of around 100 volunteers drawn from the congregation and wider community, made up of “shipyard workers, platers, riveters and boilermakers”, to complete the interior works. As a consequence, newspapers of the day lauded the church as “Clyde-built” and the “do-it yourself” kirk.

Pews and nine stained glass panels (by the firm of Stephen Adam & David Small of Glasgow) were gifted by the congregation of the Gilmorehill Parish Church, which closed for worship in 1962. The striking 40 foot high wooden cross outside was created by two local shipyard carpenters, Robert Hood and James Mair. The metal cross in the chancel was made by the local shipbuilding firm Barclay Curle.

In February 2023, the congregation of Blawarthill entered a formal linkage with the congregation of St Columba’s Gaelic Church. The two congregations had shared the Blawarthill building since the A-listed St Columba’s on St Vincent’s Street (often known as “The Highland Cathedral”) was closed in 2021 and marketed for sale the following year, as part of the Church of Scotland’s nationwide programme of building rationalisation. 

The Gaelic congregation of St Columba’s pre-dated its impressive 1904 Gothic church on St Vincent Street, established in 1770 to cater for the city’s growing Gaelic speakers who had moved to Glasgow from the Highland and Island communities of Scotland. In addition to satisfying the spiritual needs of its members, over the centuries, St Columba’s Gaelic Church played a significant role in supporting the maintenance and survival of Gaelic language, culture and society in Lowland Scotland. 

Services

Sundays at 11 (services are in English with some Gaelic content)

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.