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Crieff, Comrie Street, South United Free Church

Church (19th Century)

Site Name Crieff, Comrie Street, South United Free Church

Classification Church (19th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Free Church

Canmore ID 163741

Site Number NN82SE 165

NGR NN 86257 21782

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/163741

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Perth And Kinross
  • Parish Comrie (Perth And Kinross)
  • Former Region Tayside
  • Former District Perth And Kinross
  • Former County Perthshire

RCAHMS Threatened Buildings Survey 2007 (May 2008)

Crieff South Church was designed by J J Stevenson in 1882 in a late Scots Gothic style. Inspired by Dunblane Cathedral, its spire is a major landmark in Crieff. It was built as a Free Church and became the South United Free Church in 1900. It was known as South and Monzievaird Church of Scotland at the time of its closure.

Although designed by Stevenson, it was Robert Ewan, a Glasgow architect, and Hew Miller, the factor at Ochtertyre, who supervised the construction.

The church was designed with seating for 800, and was built of Alloa stone with exterior woodwork of teak. The total cost came to approximately 5,000 pounds.

The original mission church of 1876 was converted into the church halls and in 1910-11 William Finlayson added a further hall. In 1926 Douglas Strachan designed a memorial window to G Strathairn for the vestibule depicting scenes from The Pilgrim's Progress. In 1929 Sir Robert Lorimer made minor alterations and additions, including a new stone communion table.

The building was in secular use as an antiques shop and craft centre after the church closed in 1964. Throughout this later usage the communion table, pulpit, galleries and stained glass survived.

Information from RCAHMS (STG), 2008.

Architecture Notes

NN82SE 165 86257 21782

The Free Church, 850 sittings - a Gothic building, with handsome slated tower, 120 feet high - built, at a cost of 4,500 pounds, in 1881-2, in Comrie Street.

Macara, p.34.

ARCHITECT: Sir Robert Lorimer (alterations etc.)

Site Management (7 June 1998)

Scots gothic church with 3-stage tower, on ground falling steeply to SW. 4-bay nave with side aisles, clerestory and basement. Red bull-faced ashlar in uneven courses with ashlar dressings. String and eaves courses. Single, 2- and 4-stage sawtooth-coped buttresses, hoodmoulds. Traceried windows, quatrefoil roundels, pointed-, shoulder-arched and square-headed openings, chamfered reveals and stone mullions.

Opened as the Free Church on 27th August, 1882 by Rev Dr Whyte of Free St George's, Edinburgh. With seating for 800 the building, of Alloa stone with exterior woodwork of teak, cost some '5000 plus an extra '100 for the belfry. All upper windows were double glazed and the spire, reaching 120', is based on that of Dunblane Cathedral.

The architect, J J Stevenson, was an ex-patriot Glaswegian, by 1882 hailing from Bayswater, London: he was a key player in the revival of Scots Gothic and a father figure for the "London Scots" who went south after the Glasgow Bank crash. Building was carried out "under the superintendence of Robt Ewan Esq, architect Glasgow, and Hew Miller Esq, factor, Ochtertyre" (Chatburn). The organ was installed in 1899, and in 1900 the United Presbyterian and Free Churches combined. When Monzievaird Church closed in 1964 the congregation divided between Crieff South and West Churches. (Historic Scotland).

Activities

Photographic Survey (October 2007)

RCAHMS undertook a photographic survey of Crieff South Church and its halls prior to their conversion into twelve flats.

Information from RCAHMS (STG), 2007

References

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