Basic Site Details

Name: Gorbals Free Church
Town, district or village: Gorbals
City or county: Glasgow
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status:  
Grid ref:
Notes: The memorial-stone of Gorbals Free Church was laid on the 6th inst. by Lord Overtoun. The church is situated in South Portland-street, occupying a position between two high four-story tenements, thus presenting unusual difficulties in plan and design. These have been dealt with by filling up the whole frontage block with the entrances, hall, and rooms, while the church is placed behind these, being lighted from each side. The church itself is square in plan, with side and end galleries, and will be seated for 918 persons. It is internally divided into a nave and side aisles by iron columns which support the galleries and roof, and steel girders over the galleries divide the roof longitudinally into three sections. The central portion is carried up much higher than the sides, and is finished with a coved and panelled ceiling divided into six bays by moulded timber couples. At the jnilpit end two stone piers divide the space into three, the side sections forming organ-chambers, while the centre is occupied by the platform. The pulpit will be an open platform, with only a small reading-desk in front. The church will be lighted by two tiers of triplet windows. The hall is placed on the first floor on the gallery level, and is a room 60 feet by 27 feet 6 inches. A beadle's house occupies a portion of the upper floor. There are also on the basement two lesser halls, each for 160 persons, a kitchen, store-room, and lavatory; and on the street floor are ladies' room, vestry, deacons' room, and cloak-room, with lavatories, and an extra vestry. The style is Classic, of a severe type. Each flank of the front is kept forward to the street line, and carried up unbroken to the cornice, so as to contrast with the adjoining tenements, while the centre is recessed a few feet. The stonework is of red sandstone from Gatelowbridge quarries. The estimated total lost is £6,000. The architect is Mr John B Wilson, ARIBA and IA, Bath-street, Glasgow, and the work is being carried out under his supervision, with Mr James Mair as clerk of works.
[Building News 14 january 1898 pp56-57]

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Church  

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 21897 Design exhibited 
Item 2 of 21898 Construction 

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 1John Bennie Wilson  1897 Design exhibited - possibly competition design.

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts1897   326

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Building News14 January 189874 p56