Bothwell Parish Church and St Bride’s Collegiate Church. Photograph: Iain Thompson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
A rare medieval stone-roofed choir is joined to David Hamilton’s 1833 parish church, creating an unusually direct architectural link between collegiate and modern worship.
Quick facts
- Date
- Medieval choir founded 1398; present church 1833; restored 1898
- Architect / designer
- Medieval masons unknown; David Hamilton; restoration by Robert Rowand Anderson
- Type
- Medieval collegiate choir and nineteenth-century parish church
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB5134)
- OS grid reference
- NS 70490 58604
Architecture and continuing use
The medieval east end is built of carefully dressed stone and retains a steep stone roof, traceried openings and significant carved details. Hamilton’s adjoining church uses a restrained Gothic language, while Rowand Anderson’s restoration strengthened the historic ensemble rather than disguising its different phases.
Its story
Archibald Douglas founded a collegiate church here in 1398. The choir survived later religious and structural change and was incorporated when David Hamilton built the new parish church in 1833. Rowand Anderson restored the medieval work in 1898. A parish union in 2025 created Bellshill and Bothwell Parish Church, which continues worship at the site.
Why it is included
Category A listing recognises the exceptional survival of a medieval collegiate choir, important work by Hamilton and Anderson, and continuing worship within a layered historic complex.
What to notice
- The solid stone roof over the medieval choir.
- The junction between medieval masonry and the 1833 church.
- Carved tracery and monuments within the church and graveyard.
Reading the surroundings
Attend advertised worship or contact the congregation before a heritage visit. Respect services, funerals, graves and any restrictions on the medieval choir or ancillary rooms.
Timeline
- 1398 Archibald Douglas founded the collegiate church of St Bride.
- 1833 David Hamilton completed the adjoining parish church.
- 1898 Robert Rowand Anderson restored the medieval choir.
- 2025 Bellshill and Bothwell congregations united while retaining worship here.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Some medieval fabric and monuments have complex dates. Service and visitor arrangements can change and should be checked with the congregation.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Bothwell Parish Church and St Bride’s Collegiate Church, LB5134 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove designation: LB5134 — Parallel national designation identity and archival context.
- Bellshill and Bothwell Parish Church: Bothwell location — First-party current congregation, worship and building-history information.
- National Records of Scotland: Bothwell kirk session — Archival context for the parish and its institutional continuity.
Location
OS grid reference NS 70490 58604 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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