“Imagine the stories these walls could tell” I would say standing here in front of St Margaret’s RC Church in Glasgow. Actually it is St Margaret’s Scottish Episcopal Church. Founded as a mission of St Ninian’s Church in 1898, St Margaret’s began its journey meeting in shop premises. The first service took place on November 15, 1898. Sir John Stirling Maxwell donated the current church site in 1908.
Peter MacGregor Chalmers designed the church, vestry, and church hall in 1895. The design reflects the Scots/German Neo-Romanesque style. By November 1908 the church hall was already built. In 1911 Robert Alexander Ogg laid the foundation stone for St Margaret’s Church. Work then began on the nave, side aisles, the base of the bell tower and western apse. These parts were completed by 1912.
In 1922 work started on the chancel and Lady Chapel. Gordon Galloway designed these additions. Officially St Margaret’s Church was dedicated to Saint Margaret of Scotland in 1923. It was consecrated on December 25, 1928. The bell tower was completed by 1935. The plans were altered in 1915 to build a tower rather than a spire.
Look closely at the mosaics and stained glass windows. The western apse serves as the Baptistery. In 1958 a mosaic floor was laid to mark the church’s Golden Jubilee. These mosaics represent children from the congregation and objects associated with them. The apse mosaic made in 1921 depicts the descent of the Holy Spirit.
The three stained glass windows were made by Morris & Co. They depict the Annunciation, the Baptism of Christ, and Christ blessing children. These windows were installed between 1923 and 1926. Dedicated in 1912 the Baptismal font is made of Italian marble. It depicts an angel holding a scallop shell.
Now turn your attention to the north aisle. Here you’ll find stained glass windows depicting the beatitudes. James Powell and Sons made some of these in the 1930s. Gordon Webster made others between 1950 and 1960.
Notice the chancel apse mosaic designed by James Powell and Sons in 1927. It shows Christ in Glory on a throne over a rainbow. The Four Evangelists, Seraphim, four Archangels and the Heavenly host surround him. The high altar was dedicated in 1920 and designed in the Romanesque style by Peter MacGregor Chalmers. Gordon Galloway designed the choir of Austria oak. These features, including the pulpit, were completed in 1923. The organ case was finished in 1924 and the Bishop’s chair in 1926. Blackett and Howden created the organ, which was dedicated in 1924.
The stained glass windows include The Transfiguration and The Ascension of Christ by James Powell and Sons from 1927. Morris & Co. created The Crucifixion, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Resurrection of Christ between 1924 and 1927. Gordon Webster designed St John in 1973. Hugh McCulloch created Abraham in 1927.
In the south aisle, a number of stained glass windows catch the eye. James Powell and Sons made Christ commissioning his disciples in 1935. The St Enoch Studio created Saint Margaret of Scotland in 1949. Gordon Webster designed Simeon in 1971. Roland Mitton designed Saint Thomas in 1997. John Clark designed Gethsemane in 2001 as well as the Last Supper and The supper at Emmaus in 2002.
Finally step inside the Lady Chapel. Located on the eastern side of the chancel, it features stained glass windows depicting the life of Saint Margaret of Scotland. James Powell and Sons made them and they were installed and dedicated in 1930.
St Margaret’s stands as a testament to faith, art, and community. Its story woven into the very fabric of Glasgow. A true icon and classic of the Romanesque Revival, St Margaret’s is a welcoming beacon.