| Last additions - Religion |
United Reformed Church547 viewsThis building occupies the site of Helensburgh's very first church, The Tabernacle, which was built in 1802 at the corner of James Street and West Princes Street. Almost immediately after the building was opened the congregation voted to become part of the Congregational Church. The original building had to be demolished in 1851 and a new church was built on the site which now serves as the church hall, and which can be seen on the right side of the photo. Today's church (on the left of the photo) was built in 1884. In 2000 the Congregational Church joined the United Reformed Church. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Shandon Church554 viewsBuilt in 1844 as Shandon Free Church, it became linked with Rhu Church in 1954. It continued in use until 1981 and was then converted into housing, with the height of the steeple being substantially reduced. Shandon Pier used to stand straight across the road from the church. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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St Bride's Church692 viewsThe development of this church started in 1867, but the building shown dates from 1878 and it stood at the corner of John Street and West King Street. For 42 years its minister was the Rev John Baird, father of television inventor John Logie Baird. In 1929 its name was changed from West Parish Church to St Bride's Church. It closed for worship in 1981 and was demolished nine years later. Flats now occupy the corner of the site and Helensburgh Library occupies the rest; three stained-glass windows from the church are on display in the Library. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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St Columba Church575 viewsThis congregation started in 1839, but did not get its own building until 1844. In 1861 a bigger building was opened next door at the corner of Sinclair Street and West King Street, and the original building became the church hall. Originally called the United Secession Church, the name was changed to St Columba in 1900. The church closed for worship in 2011, and the building in the photo is now called The Tower and functions as a digital arts centre, including a cinema. The former church hall is to become the Scottish Submarine Centre. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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St Joseph's Church645 viewsThere was no Roman Catholic Church in Helensburgh until 1880 when a chapel with school was built in Grant Street where the present church halls are. The present church itself at the corner of Lomond Street and East King Street was opened in 1912. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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St Mahew's518 viewsThe origins of this chapel are lost in the mists of time but gravestones there have been dated to the 9th or 10th century. The earliest surviving documents which speak of a chapel at Kilmahew come from the reign of King David II (1329-70). Following the Reformation in 1560 the chapel became derelict, but from 1640 until 1846 part of it was used as the village school. In 1948 it was acquired, as part of the Kilmahew Estate, by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow. Five years later work on restoration started and it began to serve again as a chapel in 1955. Today it is believed to be perhaps the oldest place of worship in the west of Scotland still being used for its original purpose. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Helensburgh Bethesda698 viewsThe Bethesda Evangelical Church sprang from the same origins as the Baptist Church, and its persuasion is that of the Open Christian Brethren. In 1931 Bethesda Hall at 30 Colquhoun Street was bought, and it remains in service.Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Garelochhead Church640 viewsThere was no church in Garelochhead before the present building was constructed in 1837, making it one of the oldest in the area. A hall was added in 1894. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Luss Church517 viewsIt is believed that St Kessog (or MacKessog) founded a church in Luss in the year 510, and it was in the name of Kessog that King Robert the Bruce went into battle against the English at Bannockburn in 1314. However the present building was opened in 1875 to commemorate the deaths of Sir James Colquhoun and a group of his gamekeepers in a boating accident in Loch Lomond two years earlier — indeed from inside the roof looks like an upturned boat. Some of the graves in the churchyard go back to the 7th or 8th century, and there is also a Viking hogback stone. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Park Church614 viewsOriginally built for the Free Church at the corner of Charlotte Street and East King Street, this building opened in 1863. By about 2010 it faced the problems of attracting a new minister and maintaining its building, both in the face of a dwindling congregation. Consequently it closed its doors to worship in 2015, but the following year the building became the Buddhist Meditation Centre of Scotland. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Peaton Church512 viewsThis small corrugated iron church was affectionately known as "The Tin Hut Church". It is not known when this church opened, but it was certainly in existence before 1893. It was generally only used for a short time in summer, principally to cater for visitors to the area. It stood by the shore road between Cove and Coulport and was used until 2002, being finally demolished eleven years later. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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Arrochar Church669 viewsThe present Arrochar Parish Church was built in 1847, but it had fallen into such a bad state of repair that in 1998 it was declared to be too dangerous to enter. However the community worked tirelessly to change this situation, with the result that it was reopened for worship in the following year. The parish of Arrochar was established in 1659, but no church was built until 1773 and the ruins of this earlier church stand alongside the present church. Photo by Professor John Hume.Oct 20, 2017
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