St. Vincent Street Church

This evening I attended the Private Viewing of the forthcoming Lyon & Turnbull Fine Arts Sale at the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow. The sale includes some excellent paintings by the Glasgow Boys.

After the preview I stopped at St. Vincent Street Church to take some exploratory shots of the Glasgow Landmark Building.

St.Vincent Street Church was designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson and opened in 1859 as a Presbyterian Church.

Thomson was well-known for his use of Greek, Egyptian and Assyrian decoration, which was unusual in the Victorian era. Typical Thomson features which can be seen on the St. Vincent Street Church include the pineapple-shaped "akroterion" carved into friezes and cornerstones, the superb Indian heads beneath the clock faces, and the elaborate fretwork around the tower.

The tower itself has several influences. The main tower is Grecian in style, but the dome on top has a more Indian feel. The fluted Ionic columns at the front and back resemble a Greek temple. The soft blond sandstone used for the church made it perfect for intricate carvings, but it was easily damaged by pollution and harsh weather. The church needs urgent restoration to preserve it for the benefit of future generations.

St. Vincent Street Church was placed on the World Monument Watch in 1998, 2004 and, 2006. WMF subsequently contributed to the restoration of the church tower, which is a prominent architectural feature characteristic of Thomson's style. The tower is an enduring feature of Glasgow's skyline, as it is visible from many areas of the city.