A rich Pugin church, earlier chapel-school and presbytery preserve the growth of Catholic worship within the industrial communities around New Stevenston.
Quick facts
- Date
- Church hall 1868; present church 1884
- Architect / designer
- Pugin and Pugin
- Type
- Gothic Revival church, presbytery and earlier hall
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB50147)
- OS grid reference
- NS 74358 60240
Architecture and continuing use
Bull-faced cream sandstone encloses a long aisled nave with cusped windows, clerestory quatrefoils and a large rose window. The tower was left truncated, but the interior retains a timber roof, arcades, stencilling and elaborate marble altars. The older hall preserves the first church, school and presbytery range.
Its story
A combined church, school and presbytery opened in 1868. Rapid congregational growth led to Peter Paul Pugin’s larger church in 1884. Its planned spire was never built. The earlier range became a hall, while the complex continues to serve Holy Family parish.
Why it is included
Category B listing recognises an important early Pugin commission, its unusually complete interior and the layered social history of Catholic worship, schooling and migration.
What to notice
- The unfinished tower beside the entrance.
- Quatrefoil clerestory lights and the chancel rose window.
- Marble altars and painted ceiling where worship access permits.
Reading the surroundings
Attend advertised services or contact the parish. Respect worship, funerals, safeguarding and private presbytery areas.
Timeline
- 1868 A chapel-school and small presbytery established the parish complex.
- 1878 Restoration of the Catholic hierarchy encouraged a new wave of church building.
- 1884 Pugin and Pugin’s larger church opened beside the earlier range.
- 2026 Holy Family continues regular parish worship in Mossend.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Service times can change. The precise reason every phase of the spire proposal was abandoned is not fully documented in the designation.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, Mossend, LB50147 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove designation: LB50147 — Parallel national designation identity and archival context.
- Diocese of Motherwell: Holy Family, Mossend — First-party current parish identity, clergy, address and Mass times.
Location
OS grid reference NS 74358 60240 · 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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