Was it fate? Or perhaps divine intervention? The story of Park Parish Church is a fascinating tale of architectural evolution, congregation shifts, and urban redevelopment.
Park Parish Church, designed by John Thomas Rochead, emerged between 1856 and 1858. Its West of England Perpendicular style made it a remarkable structure. It marked the progress of ecclesiastical architecture in the Scottish Presbyterian establishment.
By the early 1960s the Park Parish Church congregation was on the wane. The Glasgow Presbytery wanted to flatten it. They planned to build a 12-storey office development. The cost was estimated at £350,000. This was rejected as inappropriate. A plan for a six-storey block was approved. It gathered around the retained Park Parish Church tower.
Geoffrey Jarvis was the New Glasgow Society founder. He welcomed the retention of the Park Parish Church tower. He realised a valiant attempt had been made. This attempt was to match the unique building with a modern economic solution. Expectations were low. One of the fathers of modern Glasgow architectural conservation conceded destruction of the church. This was in order to preserve the skyline.
Despite public protest the Park Parish Church was carefully demolished by hand in 1968. The aim was to preserve the tower. In its place rose a reinforced concrete office block. Derek Stephenson and Partners designed it for the Bank of Scotland. It remains a jarring sore thumb. It stands in an otherwise remarkably complete expression of Victorian town planning.
The story of Park Parish Church is one of change. It embodies the constant tension. That tension exists between preserving the past and embracing the future in Glasgow. The Park Parish Church tower serves as a reminder of what was. It prompts reflection on what has been gained and lost in the name of progress. The tower is testament to Glasgow’s architectural heritage.