A former church repeatedly adapted for industry and education still reveals large ecclesiastical openings beneath its later warehouse floors.
Quick facts
- Date
- Church built 1845; raised and converted in the later nineteenth century
- Architect / designer
- Original designer not identified in the designation record
- Type
- Former United Presbyterian church converted to warehouse and university accommodation
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB24968)
- OS grid reference
- NO 40062 30503
Architecture and continuing use
The four-storey pink-sandstone building has a piended roof, a slightly advanced Bell Street centre and a blocked depressed-arched entrance. Tall openings, wallhead gables and canted upper windows expose the stages of conversion.
Its story
Built as a United Presbyterian church in 1845, it was later raised and used by an architectural ironmonger and William Smith’s shoe warehouse. The building is now absorbed into Abertay’s interlinked central campus.
Why it is included
Its shift from worship to manufacture and higher education is unusually legible in a strategically placed Category B building.
What to notice
- Blocked central church doorway on Bell Street.
- Tall multi-pane openings surviving through later floors.
- Canted windows introduced with the warehouse conversion.
Reading the surroundings
This is a working university building rather than a generally open heritage attraction. Use public campus entrances only and check with Abertay before seeking interior access.
Timeline
- 1845 The original United Presbyterian church was erected on Bell Street.
- 1873 The James congregation withdrew from the building before its commercial conversion.
- Later nineteenth century Additional floors transformed the former church for warehouse use.
- 2026 Abertay estate information continues to describe Bell Street as its interlinked main campus.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The university’s public material describes the campus collectively, so the exact internal department occupying this historic range is not asserted.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: University of Abertay former James Church, LB24968 — Designation category, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- Abertay University: estate strategy — University ownership and the interlinked teaching and support role of the Bell Street main campus.
Location
OS grid reference NO 40062 30503 · Location confidence: High: the HES designation provides an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present 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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