Portal to the Past

Bourock Church, Barrhead

The Bourock site, (Scots bourock, a hillock), was given to Barrhead by the Earl of Glasgow in 1838. It opened in 1843 as a "quoad sacra" church, a kind of daughterhouse of the much older Neilston Parish Church. Dr. Fleming, minister of Neilston, formally opened the church, which was built to meet the needs of a population explosion in the expanding textile industry. Within months of opening, at the Disruption, the minister and most of the congregation walked out, leaving the church unused until 1850 as they chose to worship as a Free Church in the open air.

The bell, like the clock, was installed by public subscription in 1853 and was rung on weekdays to mark clocking on and off times in the mills and print fields.

Until 1876 Bourock Parish School met in the lower church premises. The Mechanics Institute, founded 1825, also used the premises and gave a "course of lectures on scientific and literary subjects". John Murray, the Bourock schoolmaster, for a long time ran the Institute's library. By 1865 it consisted of 3,000 volumes, "books exchanged every Saturday from 7 till 9 o'clock".  

Greenbank Parish Church, Clarkston

On 24th January 1881, a meeting was held in Clarkston Tollhouse to consider the erection of a Church of Scotland. Present were the 4 ministers of the surrounding parishes of East Kilbride, Eastwood, Mearns and Carmunnock and 40 laymen.

Ground for the church was gifted by Mr J. D. Hamilton of Greenbank and it was opened 13th April 1884. Its architects were McKissack and William G. Rowan, (1846 - 1924), initially a follower of "Greek" Thomson, who is remembered for his Gothic churches.

Neilston Parish Church, Neilston

The beautiful parish church of Neilston was first recorded in 1163 in a charter of Paisley Abbey. It was built by Norman knight, Sir Robert de Croc, as part of a feudal requirement by the High Steward of Renfrew, Walter Fitzalan.

The only ancient part of the building is a Gothic window in a back wall and the burial vault of the Mure family.

Between 1796 and 1798 the roof was taken off and another storey added making room for a gallery to accommodate the growing population. The old graveyard is centuries old and has a stone dating back to the 15th century.

Neilston Church has passed through some turbulent times. In 1559 during the Reformation, an image of the Virgin was taken from Neilston Parish Church and thrown into a pool of the River Levern. The pool ever since has been known as the Midge Hole.  

St. Bridget's Church, Eaglesham

The parish for this church covers a wide area including Busby, Clarkston, Giffnock, East Kilbride and Newton Mearns. St.Bridget's was part of the parish of East Kilbride and the name Kilbride is derived from Bridget.

The church had a parish priest from 1850 and in 1858 a church was built mainly for the Irish immigrant workers in the cotton mills and farms of Eaglesham and Busby. It is located behind "Mayfield", a house in Polnoon St.  In 1876 the local cotton mill burned down and many workers moved away. From 1880 St.Joseph's took over its mission in Busby. In 1987 it was granted independent status and its own priest once more. The church is now a ‘C’ listed building.

St. Joseph's Parish Church, Clarkston

The original St. Joseph’s Church was built in 1880 and was located on Busby Road. It was the first church to be built in the Clarkston area (outside of Busby). The first priest was Father Mueller who was required to travel to Mearns, Eaglesham and East Kilbride to say Mass.

The parish of St. Joseph’s continued to grow, employing three priests by the Second World War and eventually requiring a bigger church. The old church was demolished in 1969 and a new church and primary school were built on the same site, opening on the 29^th June 1971.

St. Thomas's Chapel, Neilston

St. Thomas’s Chapel and school were built in 1861 following an influx of Irish workers seeking to escape the potato famine in Ireland and in response to a demand from the expanding mill industry of the Levern.

This was the first Catholic Church since the Reformation of 1560 and a new St. Thomas’s School was built in 1964 in Broadlie Road beside the chapel where the old building was demolished.

United Reformed Church, Barrhead

About the same time as the Disruption, another doctrinal dispute was ongoing in the Church of Scotland. Presbyterians accepted the Calvinistic Doctrine of Election as defined in the Westminster Confession of Faith. To this doctrine was offered that of free salvation for all, with the Rev. Dr. Morrison of Kilmarnock as leader of the new dissenters. In 1844 a small local group set up an independent church in Neilston.

In 1853 the Morrisonian Church in Arthurlie Street (now the E. U. Congregational Church) was opened. The first minister was Rev. Mr. McCallum. Another notable minister was the Rev. Alexander Davidson, father of John Davidson, poet and friend of Oscar Wilde.

The church became a leading influence in the cultural life in Barrhead. It acquired the first church organ in the town. Mr. Rochester, the organist, was also a conductor of Barrhead Brass Band.

The most notable minister of the church was Rev. Edward Bruce Kirk, a noted amateur astronomer. Barrhead Co-operative Society evolved from a meeting in the Morrisonian Church in 1861.

Netherlee Parish Church, Netherlee

On 29^th April 1928, Netherlee Church Hall was opened for public worship by the United Free Church. Netherlee Parish Church, which is now designated as a category ‘B’ listed building, was built in 1933 by architects Stewart and Paterson. Its foundation stone was laid on 25^th March 1933. The church was built using red sandstone and is Gothic in style, with a large traceried window at the east end and a wide nave with low segmental arched sides.

It is possible that Netherlee may be the last stone built church in the Glasgow area.