A Brief History of Cardonald Parish Church of Scotland, Glasgow
Founding
The congregation began with a meeting held in the School Room at Cardonald on 26th January 1887, when it was resolved to approach neighbouring Kirk Sessions about the creation of a new parish in this developing area. This led in 1889 to the appointment of a Minister and the granting of a constitution as a Chapel of Ease. The parish was disjoined from the parish of Paisley and Govan on 14th July 1890, and so the charge became Cardonald Parish Church, quoad sacra, within the Presbytery of Paisley. In 1929, Cardonald Parish Church transferred to the Presbytery of Glasgow.
Church Buildings
The church building was dedicated on 17th February 1889. It was modelled on the church building which had just been built at Corrie. (Architect: P. McGregor Chalmers.) Although the triple-gabled building is a familiar landmark on the busy Paisley Road West, in 1889 there was only one gable. The east wing was added in 1899. The west wing was added, and the chancel extended, in 1925. Halls were built during the first year of the Second World War in 1940. An additional suite of rooms and a corridor were added in 1960, linking church and halls, and completing the present complex.
Originally built to serve the rural farming community of Cardonald, the magnificent pillared red sandstone building that you see today retains the warm, intimate feel of a country church. Cardonald Parish Church is now at the centre of a parish of several thousand residents, and countless numbers who come into the parish or pass through it daily.
Regardless of the changes that the years have brought, by God’s grace, the congregation seeks to remain true to its purpose of bringing the Gospel into the life of the community.
During 2014 and 2015, Cardonald Parish Church celebrated 125 years of witness to the Gospel.
Ministers
- William Alexander Liston: 1889-1915,
- Duncan Findlay McLean: 1915-1935,
- John Shedden: 1935-1947,
- Francis William Rae: 1948-1970,
- John Stevenson: 1971-1983,
- Eric McLachlan: 1983-2005,
- Calum MacLeod: 2007-2017,
- Gavin McFadyen: 2018-present day
See below for downloadable articles about the history of our church:
