Sweeping gables and a corner-facing porch give a red-stone Gothic church a distinctive turn-of-the-century profile.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1898–1900
- Architect / designer
- William D. McLennan
- Type
- Red-sandstone Gothic church with Art Nouveau detail
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB43480)
- OS grid reference
- NS 44774 63178
Architecture and continuing use
Rock-faced red ashlar is refined with polished details, battered buttresses and a giant traceried west window. Curving gable ends introduce an Art Nouveau quality, while the splayed corner porch addresses both road and gateway. A lower hall and an axial ventilator complete the group.
Its story
W. D. McLennan designed the church between 1898 and 1900 for a congregation whose building later became known as Elderslie East. The East and West congregations united in 1977. By the time of the designation survey in 1996, the East building had been secularised.
Why it is included
Category C listing protects a strong local example of late Gothic church design enlivened by Art Nouveau ideas and connected to the changing organisation of worship in Elderslie.
What to notice
- The great traceried window between battered west buttresses.
- The entrance placed on a splay at the street corner.
- Gable outlines that curve more freely than conventional Gothic forms.
Reading the surroundings
View from public pavements without obstructing gates or entering the site. The building is not presented as an operating visitor attraction, and no interior access is assumed.
Timeline
- 1900 The new East church opened after a two-year building campaign.
- 1977 East and West congregations united as Elderslie Parish Church.
- 1996 The national designation survey described the East building as secularised.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The current congregation’s history clarifies the ecclesiastical sequence, but a reliable source for the East building’s exact present occupation was not found.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Elderslie East Church, LB43480 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: LB43480 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
- Elderslie and Linwood Parish Church: our history — First-party congregational history of the East and West churches and their 1977 union.
Location
OS grid reference NS 44774 63178 · 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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