A photograph, taken on 3rd February 2024, of Gilcomston South Church on Union Street, Aberdeen. The street on the left of the image, going north from Union Street, is Summer Street.

This church was designed by architect William Smith (1817-1891). It was opened 1868 and served as the second, more elaborate premises of the United Free Church in Aberdeen. The first had been a more simple granite box-auditorium on Huntly Street. An illustration of this earlier building features in Gammie's Churches of Aberdeen (1909) on page 127.

Historic Environment Scotland, in the entry for the building on their listed buildings portal, describe Gilcomston South as an interesting example of asymmetrical planning. This style had been advocated 30 years prior to its construction by the Camden Society and Ecclesiologists in England and continued to be advocated by the Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society into the late 19th century.

The church was officially opened on 6th September 1868 with services from the Rev. Mr Nixon (1803-1900) of Montrose, moderator of the Free Assembly, and Rev. Dr Walter Macgilvray (c1810-1880), pastor of the congregation (see Aberdeen Journal, 9th September 1868, page 8).

A book titled Gilcomston: A Congregation was written by Francis Lyall and published in 2020. It traces the history of the congregation from 1777 to 2013, when it left the Church of Scotland.

Location

Union Street

Keyword

Churches

Photographer

David Oswald