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