City of Glasgow

St. Vincent St Church

Photographs of St. Vincent Street Church

in city centre of Glasgow

St. Vincent Street Church

in city centre of Glasgow

A Presbyterian church.

( "Greek" Thomson ).

Built in 1859

for the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

It is a Category A listed building

owned by Glasgow City Council,

In use by a congregation

of the Free Church of Scotland.

St. Vincent Street Church

in city centre of Glasgow

St. Vincent Street Church

Tower

of St. Vincent Street Church

St. Vincent Street Church

SAINT VINCENT STREET CHURCH:

St. Vincent Street Church stands proudly as a monument to architectural innovation next to the modern high-rise ofﬁce blocks on Glasgow’s famous ﬁnancial street.
The Greek gothic architecture is that of Alexander Thomson and is one of three churches in his extensive design collection - which spanned 120 buildings in Glasgow.
What-makes it so special is that it is the only one of Thomson’s churches left standing.
Born in Balfron on the 9th of April 1817 Thomson earned himself the nickname “Greek” Thomson due to being so heavily inﬂuenced by classical Greek architecture.
He was an eminent Scottish architect who was also a pioneer in sustainable building. Thomson’s work ranges from churches, shops and mansions to rows of houses.
However, only 40 of his buildings remain standing today; the rest were either destroyed in the war, like Queen’s Park Church, or are now ruins, like the Caledonia Road Church.
St. Vincent Street Church was commissioned in 1856 and dedicated in 1859 to the former Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
The Church rises above its artiﬁcial acropolis on a steep slope located on St. Vincent Street in Glasgow, which is one of the major streets in the city centre, formed in the early 1800s.
The structure follows a Gothic Revival architectural style. Six, massive, fluted Ionic columns support a full-width pediment across the front facade of the rectangular-plan building, which is
designed as a temple. A square stone tower with classical elements, including Egyptian style entrances, and an “Indian” dome stands on the east facade.
T-shaped openings with Greece-Egyptianising herms can be seen near the top, supporting the lintel over with their backs to each other.
The church’s interior has a vibrant dark pink colour scheme, with woodwork embellished with classical Greek and Egyptian patterns.
Thomson was "not keen on having windows, but he knew he had to have them.
The pulpit is the church’s focal point. There is no altar because it was planned as an auditorium. In 1998, 2004, and 2006, the World Monument Watch was placed
on Saint Vincent Street Church. Following that, they helped to restore the church tower, a prominent architectural feature of Thomson’s style.
The structure is regarded as one of the world’s three ﬁnest romantic classical churches, according to American architectural historian Henry Russell.
Thomson died in March 1875. He was, like many innovators, under-appreciated during his lifetime, but is celebrated by his surviving structures which help to keep that bit
of “Greek” in Glasgow.