Part Three

LOCAL CHURCHES
Until recent times the church played a prominent role in the life of the community. In the early days, as well as meeting spiritual needs and providing fellowship, the church was pivotal and pro-active in establishing schools and providing support to the needy. The structural life of Anderston began in the 1720's, but the first place of public worship did not materialise until almost fifty years later when, in 1770, James Monteith erected a church on the north side of Main Street under the title of Anderston Relief Church. Prior to the establishment of a local place of worship, villagers wishing to attend Church Services had to make their way to the Barony Parish Church in Glasgow. To reach the Barony, villagers would have to trek up Bishop Street, over Blythswood Hill and then on to Cathedral Square. Such a journey must have proved quite formidable, when it is considered that there were no proper roads and, during inclement weather, decent shelter would have been rather scarce. What follows is the story of the founding of the first place of Christian worship in Anderston and of some of the others that followed.
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When word reached the Anti-burgher Kirk that the Monteiths had been seen attending another church, there was a great furore. After much debate, the Anti-burgher Session decided that the only way of absolving Monteith from his dreadful misdemeanour was for him to submit to 'church discipline'. What the prescribed punishment was is uncertain, whatever it was, Monteith declined to comply, and in so doing, found his membership of the church severed. Records dated 17th January 1769, show that Monteith petitioned to have his sentence reviewed, but nothing came of it. Word soon spread that one of the most respected men in Anderston had been forced from his church. John Ewing, an Anderston weaver, who was an elder in Albion Street Relief Church, and another colleague, Joseph Neill were sympathetic to Monteith’s plight. The three men met and following discussion, it was decided to establish a church within the community. Ground was secured and work got underway in erecting the first church in Anderston.

The church was officially opened on 19th November 1770. The first minister of the church was one of the three original founders, Joseph Neill, a man of evangelical spirit and fervour. Unfortunately, Dr. Neill died just four years after his induction as minister at Anderston, his short ministry was described as brief but brilliant.

Whilst the date of the opening of the church is given as 19th November 1770, it is evident that a congregation was in existence prior to the building being erected. Records dating from 1769 indicate that ‘ground was acquired from Mark Scott and disposed in favour of David Marshal, John Stobo, William Robertson, Robert Thomson, James McIlquhan, Gavin Miller, John Robertson, John Ewing and James Monteith managers appointed for building a church and transacting its affairs’. The church was erected in what was described as ‘a large dry well surrounded by a high wall, with an area set aside for a burial ground’. This building was to be the only place of Christian worship in Anderston for almost twenty-three years.
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The Rev. Stuart died at the age of 74, on 4th June 1819, having been minister at Anderston for forty-four years.During his lifetime he was the driving force behind the Relief Church Hymn Book, first published in 1786. Five hundred copies of the new Hymn Book, entitled ‘Sacred Songs and Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture for the Congregation at Anderston’ were published. Of the 180 Hymns contained in the publication, among the better known are ‘When I survey the Wondrous Cross’ and ‘How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds’. Hugh Niven, who lived locally, in Whitehall Mansion, printed the ‘Anderston Hymn Book’, the forerunner of all present day Hymnals. A descendant of Hugh Niven was the internationally known film actor, David Niven, star of many films produced during the 1950-80's.

The Reverend James Stuart, born at Dunblane in 1745, was reputed to have been an illegitimate son of 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', a rumour that he neither clarified nor denied. In his time as minister at Anderston, he also served as Chaplain to the Anderston Volunteers.

Dr. Gavin Struthers
The third minister of 'Anderston Old' was Dr. Gavin Struthers who took charge on his predecessors demise in 1819. During Struthers ministry, it was felt that the original church building was in need of alteration, so it was decided to partly demolish and remodel the property. As well as offering more comfortable surroundings, the new building would also have improved acoustics and a more open approach road. Work began on remodelling the church in 1839, and during the eleven-months of refurbishment, the congregation were invited to share accommodation in the Secession Church in Wellington Street. In fact, it was Dr. Mitchell of the Wellington Street Church who, on 16th February 1840, assisted by Dr French of Edinburgh, presided over the re-opening and dedication of the newly refurbished church. (This was the church building that stood in Heddle Place until it was demolished in 1967 to make way for the construction of the Kingston Road Bridge). In his sermon of the 23rd February 1840, the Rev. Struthers referred to old Anderston and the people who lived there. Part of his text is as follows,

Dr. Struthers went on to sadly report the degeneration of the times was largely due to the terrific rate at which the population of Anderston had grown. Gavin Struthers was described as a scholarly, public-spirited man and an able evangelical preacher. He died on 11th July 1858, and is best remembered for his 'History of the Relief Church'.

A Dorcas Society was formed in 1831, for the purpose of helping the poor and needy. The Society was composed of women of the church, who would gather together and make clothes or provide food for the less fortunate. A Sunday school was established in 1851, and eight years later, a full-time day school was opened. The day school was opened in 1859 at a cost of £1,800 of which, Robert Barclay, the shipbuilder, who was also a member of the Anderston Church, donated five hundred pounds.

The designation of the Church was changed several times over the centuries, in 1770 it was known as Anderston Relief, in 1847 Anderston U.P., 1900 Anderston U.F., until finally in 1930, it became known as Anderston Old, a title which the congregation retained until the building was demolished in 1967 as part of the aforementioned motorway plan. The last minister of the church was the Rev. H.A.D. Alexander who, ministered at Anderston for over forty years. With the closure of the church, the congregation united with the membership of St. Marks Lancefield and Anderston & St. Peters to form the new congregation of Anderston Parish Church, now known as Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church.

The manse of the Relief Church survived until 1967 when, it too, was demolished. The manse was originally a singlestorey building that stood in Sawmill Court and was accessed from 492 Argyle Street. The entrance to the courtyard was sometimes referred to as ‘The Blind Mans’ Pend’. At a later date a second storey was added to the building. In 1914 the premises were used as a workshop for the blind, thus earning the entrance the title 'The Blind Mans’ Pend'.

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THE DISRUPTION
Internal conflict is nothing new to the Church of Scotland. In the eighteenth century, disagreement over the exclusive right of patrons, who may have built or funded a church, to select a minister, ultimately led to the secessions of 1733 and 1755 that brought into being new denominations such as the Secession, and the Relief Church. The nineteenth century dispute that culminated in the ‘Disruption of 1843’ covered a wide range of issues, once again including the rights of congregations to choose a minister. The schism of 1843 was much more serious than any previous dispute, resulting in one-third of the ministers and half the membership leaving the Church of Scotland. This latest rift led to the formation of the Free Church of Scotland. In Anderston the ministers of Brownfield, St. Mark’s, and St. Matthew’s remained within the established church.

The decision of those who ‘walked out’ from the national church was vindicated, when, within a few short years, new buildings and schools were being erected under the auspices of the Free Church. This energetic building programme helps explain the number of church buildings dotted around the city today, many of which are now derelict. As will soon become clear the majority of local churches were either directly, or indirectly, associated in some way with one another. The passage of time coupled to church-politics led, in 1900, to the Free Church uniting with the United Presbyterian Church under the banner of the United Free Church. Those Free Church congregations who did not embrace the denominational union of 1900 remained as the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing). Twenty-nine years later the majority of the United Free Churches rejoined the Church of Scotland. As an aid to understanding the origin and affiliations of specific churches I have highlighted the various groups and factions in bold print.
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Allan’s Halls
The Wellington congregation did not forget their Anderston roots and continued to support mission work in the area. One of the most notable aspects of their work was the erection of a large building containing several halls and meeting rooms. Alexander Allan, of the Allan Shipping Line, commissioned and presented the property to Wellington Church. The building, which stood at 185 Stobcross Street, became known appropriately enough as ‘Allan's Halls’.

Wellington Street Church opened 1827
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