Glasgow churches: Hyndland
After my last post about churches, several people commented that they liked the “gargoyley things” and I said I had more. Those below are from Hyndland Parish Church, a few minutes walk from my home. Strictly speaking they are grotesques, a gargoyle being a sub-category of grotesque which has a water spout. I can only see one of those for sure.
This church was built in the Neo-Gothic style, on designs by William Leiper, between 1886 and 1887. A few years ago it was renamed The Kingsborough Sanctuary when the Church of Scotland parishes of Hyndland and Broomhill merged and the Broomhill church became the main place of worship.
A near neighbour on Hyndland Road is St Bride’s Scottish Episcopal Church, part of the world-wide Anglican communion. This building is slightly later, early 1900s, and has no grotesques, though the carving is still interesting. The architect was George Frederick Bodley, of whom I have never heard, although apparently he is a well known church architect.
Around the corner on Westbourne Gardens is Struthers Memorial Church, an Independent Pentecostal Fellowship founded in the 1950s. The Italian Renaissance style building was designed in 1880 by famous architect John Honeyman, who would later employ Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It was originally known as the Belhaven-Westbourne Free Church, then became the Great Western Road Free Church, and finally changed to Struthers.
I have many more churches in my lockdown walks file, but this will do for now. Three churches, three different denominations, and three different architectural styles all within a stone’s throw of each other.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Such amazing architecture. Yet it also shows the obscene wealth of churches that they were able to create such monuments to themselves over the centuries.
Jude
LikeLike
It does! The standard of building is just incredible.
LikeLike
I am all about Gothic and love the grotesques. I have a book about the meanings of grotesques and wish to read it again. Churches and cathedrals offer so much artistic richness.
LikeLike
They do indeed! Sounds an interesting book.
LikeLike