BRIDGETON
ST FRANCIS IN THE EAST CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
26, Queen Mary Street, Bridgeton.
The
motto of Bridgeton St. Francis in the East Church, as well as Church House, is
"Let us rise up and build." The
saying originates from the biblical story of Nehemiah who restored the walls and
city of Jerusalem which had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.
This kind of resolve displayed by Nehemiah was also shown by St. Francis
of Assisi many centuries later. One
of his first acts after renouncing the world was the rebuilding of the ruined
church of St. Damian. The spirit of
St. Francis was to come to Glasgow's east end in the early 20th century.
Barrowfield Parish Church of Scotland was one of nine parishes where were gradually disjoined from the original quoad omnia Calton Parish. It took its name from the old estate of Barrowfield, upon which it was sited. The church itself was built in 1873 and disjoined as a quoad sacra charge in 1879. Along with the other churches in the area, Barrowfield thrived during a heyday of church attendance in the late Victorian era. It also shared in the general decline which was to follow. With a gradual loss of membership and the accompanying reduction in revenue the church embarked on a period of struggle to survive. By 1929 the congregation numbered a mere 30, the fabric of the building was deteriorating rapidly, gas and water supplies had been cut off and there was no minister. The situation was so bad that Glasgow Presbytery had practically resolved to close the church.
Barrowfield
was only saved by the intervention of the Reverend Sydney Warnes of St. Mary's,
Partick, who declared that the Church of Scotland could not abandon a district
such as Bridgeton which was so very much in need of spiritual and material
sustenance. The Presbytery was won
around by his argument and finance was found to pay for a minister, but still no
one could be found who actually wanted to take the charge.
Eventually, Reverend Warnes put his beliefs into practice and himself
agreed to go to Barrowfield from January, 1930.
On his first visit the story goes that he was escorted to the church from
Bridgeton Cross by a posse of Billy Boys who felt he needed the protection
Warnes embarked upon a programme of support and aid to the poor of his parish. This included the radical restructuring of his church building to create the space that was required for various activities. A new floor was built at the level of the galleries thereby creating two storeys where before there had been only one. The upper level was used as a sanctuary while the lower served as a hall and billiard room. The basement was converted to provide bathing facilities for local folk for a nominal charge. Warnes provided a whole range of services for his new flock, including the supply of cheap and nourishing food during a particularly desperate period - the Depression. With the new church building, a new name was adopted St. Francis-in-the East.
When Arthur Gray took over from Warnes in 1935 he continued the work which the latter had started but which had faltered in the interval between ministries. It was Gray who instigated the opening of the old London Road East Church buildings as Church House. This centre was intended to provide recreational facilities and a base from which to promote the idea and practice of Christian fellowship. The connection between it and the church has remained firm and mutually supportive.
In
1955 as part of the restructured church's silver jubilee celebrations a mural
was painted behind the communion table by the artist Walter Pritchard and a
pupil from the Glasgow Art School. This
depicted St. Francis rebuilding the church of St. Damian which was represented
by the St. Francis in the East building. The
main entrance to the church now also opens onto a mural; The Birth, Death,
and Resurrection.
The years from the Second World war to the present have been difficult; a time of continuing financial hardship and the removal of almost the whole of the local population during redevelopment. At one point when the whole area around the church was empty of houses in the 1970s, former parishioners would travel from their new housing schemes to keep the church going. That the church has survived so successfully to serve a rebuilt community is a tribute to the spirit and dedication of all those who made very real sacrifices of time, health and money to ensure its future.
Detail from the mural "The Birth, Death and Resurrection".
The parish presently served by the church has extended well beyond its original boundaries to take in those congregations of the churches which did not survive the ravages of time and fortune. In 1985 the prefix of Bridgeton was added to the church's designation to mark the union with Bridgeton Parish Church's congregation. This meant that the old Barrowfield parish had now acquired the amalgamated congregations of four other Church of Scotland parish churches in the process.
In
late 2002 when the congregation had completed an extended period of renovation
of the building a sewer main collapsed in Queen Mary Street, just outside of the
church. Repair work resulted in
serious subsidence which required the immediate shoring up of the structure.
For a time the future of the building was in doubt but it was resolved
that remedial work should be undertaken, and this continued for two years.
Until the church was rendered safe for reoccupation, services were held
in Church House. The congregation
were finally able to return to their home in November, 2004.
Several books have been written about the history of this church. Most recently, one time minister Bill Shackleton has published a volume of memoirs of his time in Bridgeton - see Bits & Pieces for details.
Sim, John, G. (1955); A Light in Bridgeton. Hedderwick Kirkwood Ltd., Glasgow.
© 2005 Gordon Adams
