Skelmorlie - South Church - 100 Years - 1856 - 1956 - Booklet - Wm Newton McCartney

SKELMORLIE and WEMYSS BAY SOUTH CHURCH - 1856 - 1956ONE HUNDRED YEARS by Wm. Newton McCartney - June 3, 1956

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SKELMORLIE and WEMYSS BAYSOUTH CHURCH

1856 - 1956

ONE HUNDRED YEARS

by

Wm. Newton McCartney

June 3, 1956

The Old Church 1856 - 1894

One Hundred Years

On Sunday, June 3, 1956, The Skelmorlie and Wemyss Bay South Church celebrated its centenary and a backwardglance over its history may be of interest.

One hundred years ago, the district, which is now The Parish of Skelmorlie, comprised the estates of Eglinton,Wemyss Bay and Kelly. It had a population of 304, of which number it is said that 40 were summer visitors and a largeproportion of the remainder children.

In 1853 a request was put before The Greenock Presbytery for a new church to serve the district and there was a gooddeal of discussion regarding where a new church building should be placed. The minister of Inverkip wanted it as faraway as possible from his church and, for a while, it looked as though the new church would be built at The Meigle.The minister of Largs, on the other hand, said that it should be built near enough the Kelly Burn to serve the residentsof Wemyss Bay. This view prevailed at last and it was built on the present site, the ground of which was gifted to thetrustees by The Earl of Eglinton, who retained the right to claim it for one shilling a year.


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Curiously enough, when the church was built, it was called The Kelly Bridge Chapel. It is under this name that itappears in the Presbytery records. As there was, at that time, no 'Parish of Skelmorlie', it took the status of a 'Chapelof Ease' in the parishes of Largs and Inverkip.

In 1855 building operations commenced and the new chapel was opened in the following year. The original managersand trustees were - Rear-Admiral Montgomerie of Brigend, George Clark Arbuthnot of Beach House, James Scott ofKelly, Charles Wilsone Brown of Castle Wemyss and the Rev. John Kinross, minister of the Parish of Largs.

The actual date of the opening of the new 'Chapel of Ease' seems uncertain, as, for some months before the firstminister was appointed, a Mr. Patullo, who afterwards went to the church at Parton, in Kirkcudbrightshire, occupiedthe pulpit.

The first minister actually appointed was the Rev. Walter Little Gilmour Boyd, M.A., who was elected on April 21,1856 and ordained on September 25th of that year. At this ordination service the Rev. John Kinross of Largs, whofought so hard to have the church erected on its present site, presided and preached. There was also present the fatherof the young minister, the Rev. Dr. Boyd of Glasgow and, one may hope, the young minister's brother, thedistinguised A. K. H. Boyd of St. Andrews.

In this matter of fixing the actual date of the opening, one may find in a church record dated May 9, 1906, thefollowing passage - "The Moderator (The Rev. John McGilchrist) drew the attention of members to the fact that thefirst constitution of the Skelmorlie church had been granted by the General Assembly on June 2, 1856 and that this,accordingly, was the Jubilee Year of the church. A proposal to the effect that the occasion should be suitablyrecognised by a special service was heartily approved. Mr. McGilchrist took the Jubilee Service himself. His text was'The Burning Bush' (Exodus III, verse 2). At the evening service there was a choir of forty children. We mayconclude then that, if the date of June 2, 1906 was good enough for the Jubilee, June 3, 1956 may be suitable enoughfor the centenary.

The Kelly Bridge 'Chapel of Ease' was a very dainty little building. Pictures of it, internally and externally, are stillavailable. It was described at the time as a 'model of eccesiatical architecture' and was erected at a cost of £1,300 - lessthan a modern 'prefab'. The young minister devoted himself wholeheartedly to the task of beautifying and enlargingthe building. Before very long, in 1858, he had two little transepts added to the south end of the chapel. By means ofthese extensions the building was capable of seating 400.

In the year 1860, the 'Chapel of Ease' attained the dignity of a 'parish church', the newly established stretching downthe firth as far as St. Fillan's and included the estates of Eglinton, Kelly and Wemyss Bay. The parish is what is called a"quoad sacra" parish. Largs retains the "Teinds" as far as the limit of the Eglinton Estate and Inverkip retains the"Teinds" of Kelly and Wemyss Bay.

On June 2, 1865, (see now and elsewhere Donald Kelly's 2006-written article regarding the history and the dating of Skelmorlie church'sorgans) the young minister did a very daring thing, he introduced an organ into the church services. It is roundlyasserted that the Skelmorlie organ was the first organ ever played in a Church of Scotland service, it actually thepioneer organ of The Church of Scotland. The innovation met with strenuous opposition from many quarters.Anthems were sung, prose Psalms were chanted, to the amazement of the whole community. But, these innovationswere confined to the afternoon service. At the morning service, the old traditions were adhered to until, gradually, amore tolerant attitude came into being.

Of course there were some who maintained their opposition to the end. The Rev. Mr. Boyd's brother, the famous"A.K.H. Boyd" of a former generation writes, "Once I was in a railway carriage, a hundred miles from Skelmorlie,when a familiar name fell on my ear. I looked and two old women went on, in spiteful tones, about the doings in mybrother's church - 'They call it Boyd's Theatre', one of them said".

It was not until July 10, 1870 that the church appointed its elders. Prior to this the minister was assisted, in theadministration of The Sacrament, either by his father, the Rev. Dr. Boyd of Glasgow, or by elders from a distance,outwith the parish.

Two years later Mr. Boyd's ministry came to a sudden end. He died, aged 39, on January 4, 1872, after a ministry ofjust over fifteen years, 1856 – 1872. Dr. Storry wrote the epitaph inscribed on the memorial tablet, transferred fromthe wall of the original church to the back of the present building.


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By this time, the railway having come to Wemyss Bay in 1865, mansion houses were being built along the twenty-fivefoot terraced beach, which is such a notable natural feature of the firth and on the hill above and behind the old seacliffs. Before very long, it was stated that, from Castle Wemyss to Skelmorlie Castle, there was more wealth here thanin any other parish of like size in the whole of Scotland.

With the quick growth of building and an ever-increasing number of summer visitors, it was felt, in the early 1890's,that something more spacious should take the place of the dainty little parish church beneath the cliff and the problemwas placed before the architects Messrs. John Honeyman and Keppie. Though the reconstruction and adaptation of anexisting building is always a problem, the difficulties were at length overcome and the new church building opened forworship on October 13, 1895, the preacher being the Rev. Professor Charteris, D.D., of Edinburgh.

The architectural features of the reconstructed church have met with universal approval. In the reconstruction, the old1856 church building became a useful and imposing hall eminently suited for Sunday School and other congregationalactivities. The whole building, outside and in, is of a beautiful warm-tinted red sandstone from the local quarries.

The entrance to the church is at the base of the tower, the outer door being deeply recessed and richly moulded. Thedetails of the interior are much richer and delicate than those of the exterior. The high rounded roof is of a darklydressed timber.

The style of architecture has been described as that which prevailed about the middle of the 13th century. There is aside aisle separated from the nave by five arches. Steps at the south end of the church lead up to the chancel, whichcontains an organ chamber with openings towards the chancel and the side aisle. The entire mason work was by a localbuilder, Mr. W. W. Oswald.

The cost of the reconstruction was £5,813 19 shillings and 6 pence. Two years later, in 1897, the church was clear ofdebt. This was the outcome of a great effort inspired by the minister, the Rev. John Lamond.

There is in existence a printed report, with the names and addresses of all the subscribers, which shows how themoney was raised. It is a tremendously interesting document today, as it gives the names of the occupiers of nearlyevery house in Skelmorlie and Wemyss Bay nearly sixty years ago, in the 1890's. It was during Mr. Lamond's ministry,which began in Skelmorlie on May 18, 1891, that the new church was built. Today (in 1956), it is insured for £37,000.

The Reconstructed Church 1895 – 1956


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The Chancel

At the back of the chancel are three tall stained glass windows, the work of Glasgow artist William Guthrie. Theseshow The Baptism of Christ in Jordan, Christ in Gethsemane and, in the centre window, The Ascension. Theseornamental windows were the gift of Mrs Dunn of Annet (later Shuma) House, in memory of her husband DavidDunn. Unfortunately, the inscription on the windows is hidden by the reredos.

The Reredos and Communion Table

This magnificent reredos of carved wood, dated 1896, is the work of John Crawford, described by the church'sarchitect Mr Honeyman as "our best Gothic wood-carver". The workmanship is beyond all praise and should bestudied with loving care. Wood-carved statues of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John stand in niches and there are threewood-carved scenes - The Stable at Bethlehem, The Crucifixion and The Ressurection. That of The Ressurectionwould seem to be a very original conception for it depicts the fear and the horror of The Temple Guards (MatthewXXVIII, verse 4) as the huge rock rolls from the mouth of the sepulchre and The Risen Lord emerges from TheTomb.

No written record is discoverable of the donors of this beautiful work but one has been told that the funds for it werecollected by Mr. Robert Sinclair Scott (of Stroove), that it cost over £280 and, that much of the work was done inScott's Shipyard in Greenock.


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In front of and designed to be in keeping with the reredos is the handsome communion table gifted, in memory ofCaptain Duncan Campbell and his wife Mary, by their children in 1896. Captain Campbell was one of the owners ofthe white-funnelled Wemyss Bay steamers which ran to Millport and Rothesay (a short history of Gillies and Campbell'sWemyss Bay steamers has been attached to the end of this text for the interest of readers).

Miss Mary Campbell, his daughter, is not yet forgotten and there is a brass plate to her memory on the wall of thechurch which reads "To The Glory of God and In Memory of Mary Campbell, 1849 - 1935" and it continues "ThePatens for use in Holy Communion were the gift of The Woman's Guild and friends to commemorate her work forthis Church". Miss Campbell left a sum of money for the upkeep of the communion table, the money still continuingto accumulate year after year.

The West Side Chancel WindowsSt. Ninian - St. Kentigern - St. Columba

The three beautiful little windows, on the west side of the chancel, opposite the organ and featuring the three ScottishSaints - St. Ninian, St. Kentigern and St. Columba - were the gift of the church's architect, John Honeyman, R.S.A.,the gift in memory of his wife and two sons.

The brass flower vases on the communion table were gifted, in 1920, by the then minister's wife, Mrs David BruceNicol and were made by one of the church's elders, Mr. James Ballantyne of Morland Cottage.

The handsome lectern and The Bible that rests on it were the gift of Mr. Blyth of Balvonie, General Manager of TheUnion Bank of Scotland, in February 1904.

The small lectern that stands on the communion table was the gift of Mr. James Graham of Bridgend, in memory ofhis son, J. Leslie Graham, in 1928.

The individual communion cups and trays were first used in 1923 and were presented by Mr. Kemp (of The GlasgowGlazing Company) and by Mr and Mrs Gairdner.

The beautiful carved pulpit bears an inscription, "In affectionate memory of Bruce Richardson, Woodburn, WemyssBay - Died 23rd November, 1897 - Erected by his loving Wife and devoted Daughters".

There are, in the church, many memorials to the Inverclyde family of Castle Wemyss.

The bell, which weighs over 12 hundredweights, was gifted by the first Baron Inverclyde and his wife in 1895. Thedevoted couple died within a few hours of one another, Lord Inverclyde on February 12, 1901 and his wife, just twodays later, on February 14, 1901. The handsome window, near the Inverclyde pew, at the back of the church,commemorates the event and the splendid three-manual Binns' organ was gifted in the couple's memory by theirdaughters, Agnes Caroline Burns and Jane Cleland Burns, three years later, in 1904.


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The 3-Manual Binns' Organ

The church's first, very notable organ having lasted for forty years, the new, water-pump powered organ, for thechurch had no electricity when the organ was ordered, was dedicated on January 1, 1905, Mr Walton of GlasgowCathedral being the organist at the inauguration ceremony.

The four carved chairs behind the communion table were also the gift of the Inverclyde's daughter Agnes CarolineBurns - She became the second wife of the Rev. John McGilchrist, minister of the church from 1899 until 1911. Theglorious window, nearest the pulpit and the brass tray for the offertory were also gifted by her in memory of her friendBeatrice and of Mr McGilchrist's first wife. The other Inverclyde daughter, Jane Cleland Burns, has a bronzememorial tablet near the lectern, it recalling with gratitude her joyous spirit, her never-failing sympathy and her large-hearted charity.

As another tablet informs us, electric light was installed in the church "In memory of Hannah Ranken and her fivesisters, who all died at Heywood between 1894 and 1904 and to commemorate their long and active interest in thisParish - By their grand-neices and their grand-nephews - A.D. 1913". There is also a tablet in memory of theirbrother, Andrew Ranken, who died on August 14, 1894. It was Mr. Ranken and his sisters who presented the foursilver communion cups to the church.

Christ Stilling The Tempest


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The lovely 'Storm Window' - Christ Stilling The Tempest - is in memory of Peter Simpson and his wife, it gifted bytheir children. This window is the work of Douglas Strachan who not only designed, but executed the whole workhimself. Strachan was the artist responsible for the stained glass window which was Great Britain's gift to The PalaceofPeace at The Hague. Strachan also designed and executed the complete series of windows in The Scottish NationalWar Memorial in Edinburgh, The Goldsmith's window in St. Paul's Cathedral and the Whittington window in TheGuildhall, London - Skelmorlie should be very proud of this fine example of Strachan's work.

He Is Risen

Another extremely notable window is the one depicting "The Angel at The Tomb" - He Is Risen - in memory of Mrand Mrs Robert Blyth of Balvonie and their daughter, it gifted in 1917. This window, made by Morris & Co. ofLondon, is from a design by that great Victorian artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones, who died in 1898. With all his otherhighly imaginative work, he found time to design quite a number of striking stained glass windows. These may bediscovered in all sorts of unexpected places up and down Britain. Perhaps the most notable are in Christ Church,Oxford. If it were known that a Burne-Jones window were in Skelmorlie's South Church, lovers of Burne-Jones' workwould come from far and near to see it.

There is also a stained glass window dedicated to Mary MacLaren of Duncliff, Skelmorlie, who died on January 23,1900 and, there is a memorial to William Smith and his wife who lived in the house known as Strathclyde.

The large memorial tablet, at the back of the church, was transferred from the original church building. It is inmemory of John Graham of Skelmorlie Castle, who, in his ninetieth year, died on October 4, 1886. This was theJohn Graham who modernised Skelmorlie Castle and was the proud possessor of one of the most valuable privatecollections of paintings in the country.

The Pulpit and New Dependium

The latest gift to the church was dedicated so recently as on the Easter morning of the Centenary year (1956). The gifttakes the form of a Pulpit Dependium, to hang down in front of the pulpit book-board and of four Bible-markers.


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These new gifts, from Miss E. Miller, a long-term resident in Heywood Hotel, are all the work of Miss Helen MonaHubbard of Edinburgh, who specialises in Celtic designs. Examples of her work too may be seen in St. Giles' and St.Cuthbert's, Edinburgh.

Such is a brief record of the lovely church which, with its earlier building, celebrate 'One Hundred Years' of usefulservice on June 3, 1956. The church has seen the generations rise and pass away. It has been a fitting centre ofChristian influence during all the changes in social habits that our beloved country has experienced during that hundredyears.

Life in the year 1956 differs greatly from life in 1856 and two Great Wars in our own time have altered many thingsbut, so long as the fundamentals remain, as they are bound to do, from one generation to another, so long will therebe a crying need for places dedicated, as is our Skelmorlie Church, to the honour and glory of God and of His SonJesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

SKELMORLIE and WEMYSS BAY SOUTH CHURCH

Office Bearers - June 3, 1956

MinisterThe Rev. George Peat Innes, B.D., LL.B.

EldersDr Colin W. H. Gourlay Rev. A. E. PenroseMr Robert Y. Hunter Mr Malcolm RamsayMr Ian Kemp Mr Harold E. RandDr Andrew S. Kitchin Mr Alexander M. ScottMr Mearns T. McCaskie Mr James Scott

Mr J. Porter Waddell

Session ClerkMr Harold E. Rand, "Orlinda", Winton Drive, Skelmorlie

Congregational BoardTHE KIRK SESSION (Minister and Elders)

with the following representatives elected by the congregationSir John C. Denholm, C.B.E. Mr Wm. N. McCartneyMr George C. Galbreath Mr Robt. W. McKinlayMr John M. Galbreath Mr Alex. D. RoseMr Walter Halliday Mr A. Fleming Wylie

Clerk to The Congregational BoardMr R. W. McKinlay, Meadow Place, Skelmorlie

Honary TreasurerMr Wm. Newton McCartney, J.P., "Ochiltree", The Lane, Skelmorlie

Collector of Seat RentsMr Walter Halliday, Morland Cottage, Skelmorlie

OrganistMr Joseph Weir, 31 Blythswood Crescent, Largs

Church OfficerMr John Bell, Forbes Place, Wemyss Bay

Skelmorlie - South Church - 100 Years - 1856 - 1956 - Booklet - Wm Newton McCartney

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