Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church, Glasgow

Hillhead expanded rapidly during the second half of the 19th century, especially following the relocation of the University of Glasgow to Gilmorehill in the 1870s. The Church of Scotland responded by constructing a temporary church in a field in front of what is now Athole Gardens in Hillhead. This corrugated iron church was opened in 1871. The congregation soon outgrew the temporary building and a decision to construct a permanent church was taken. Finding a suitable site was problematic, partly due to old mineworkings, but the new church was opened on 8 October 1876. At first, the congregation operated under the supervision of the Kirk Session of Govan Old Parish Church, but in 1882…

The building was designed by the architect James Sellars and completed in 1876. It is modelled on the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The church is located in Observatory Road, Hillhead. It is a Category A listed building. The nine windows with stained glass panels in the main body of the church include a window by Victorian artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones and the most recent Te Deum Laudamus window by Sadie McLellan installed in 1958. The gallery organ was built in 1876 by Henry Willis and twice rebuilt further by Willis and Sons in 1906 and 1930. The original installation was in the recess at the back of the west gallery under the rose window, as designed by the organist Dr A.E. Peace. In 1906…