A modern harled church built for a growing mining congregation combines flexible worship space with familiar Scottish forms.
Quick facts
- Date
- Hall 1935; church 1939–42; buttresses added 1945
- Architect / designer
- A Murray Hardie
- Type
- Modern church with traditional Scottish details
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB46972)
- OS grid reference
- NT 33385 64215
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
A deep green-slate roof rises behind a staged, crowstepped bell tower. Lancets, dormers, flying buttresses and a five-sided apse translate traditional motifs into a twentieth-century church with an open timber interior.
Its story
A hall was built in 1935 and temporarily served worship. The main church began in 1939 and opened in 1942; subsidence required flying buttresses in 1945, and a major refurbishment concluded in 2025.
Why it is included
The Category C church represents spiritual and social provision for a rapidly expanding mining settlement and continues as a flexible community building.
What to notice
- Crowstepped tower and recessed arched doorway.
- Flying buttresses added in response to mining subsidence.
- Open timber roof and movable seating.
Reading the surroundings
The building is an active church and community venue. Check parish information for worship or events and respect services, users and any booking arrangements.
Timeline
- 1935 A new hall first provided worship and meeting space for the congregation.
- 1942 The completed church opened during the Second World War.
- 1945 Flying buttresses were added to counter structural movement.
- 2025 A major refurbishment returned the building to regular community use.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The 1939–42 construction span crosses wartime interruption, and individual completion dates vary between components.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Newtongrange Parish Church, LB46972 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Newbattle: St Nicholas Buccleuch — current locations — Current parish identity, 2025 reopening and continuing church and community use.
- Midlothian Council: Newtongrange Conservation Area Appraisal — Local-authority settlement and architectural context.
Location
OS grid reference NT 33385 64215 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; the independent source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · 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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