SHETTLESTON NEW CHURCH HISTORY

EASTBANK CHURCH

SHETTLESTON NEW CHURCH

CARNTYNE OLD CHURCH

In 1884 a hall had been built in Hill Street by the Sabbath School Association and services were held there on Sunday evenings, with an average attendance of 240. A congregation was sanctioned in 1890 and a church was built, opened in 1893. A three day Bazaar was held in 1892 to raise funds. The Carntyne Old Church Memorial Stone was laid on 3 September, 1892. The last service in Hill Street Hall took place on 28 May, 1893 and on 2 June 1893 'they entered His gates with praise' for the dedication service. The following Sunday three services were conducted.

The Gothic church was built with a 54 ft gable, two traceried windows and octagonal buttresses at the side. The church was then known as Carntyne Free Church, becoming, in 1900, Carntyne United Free Church and in 1929 Carntyne Old Church.

Carntyne Old Church to Cunningham House

The Carntyne Old church building and hall were purchased by Shettleston Housing Association with the aims of retaining a historic local building and developing social housing. In 2019 Carntyne Old Church became Cunningham House. The development is designated as housing for older people and comprises 14 homes in the former church as well as a five storey apartment block constructed on the site of the hall. The flats are all energy efficient and accessible.

EASTBANK CHURCH

Prior to the building of the church Shettleston was a quiet village with white-washed cottages and open farmland. There were few trains and horse-drawn carts passed along the road. Towards the end of the century the countryside began fill up, with houses appearing at the north end of Gartocher Road. With expansion of the community folks discussed the prospect of having their own church in Shettleston. In 1896 thirty-two people met in a school and were constituted as Shettleston United Presbyterian Church. A site on Old Shettleston Road was secured and the congregation commissioned Messrs Rowan and Smith to draw up plans for a church and a hall. However the cost was beyond the congregation so it was agreed to proceed with a hall initially.

In 1900 the church became Eastbank United Free Church, following the union of the Free Church and the United Presbyterian Church. By 1901 the congregation was almost 200. A Bazaar was held over three days in December 1902 to raise funds. It raised £2,500 and a memento of the Bazaar, a multi-signatured curtain, is still in the church today. By 1904 the congregation had succeeded in funding the new building and Willian G Rowan designed the striking Arts & Crafts church. The building was renamed Eastbank Church of Scotland in 1929.

SHETTLESTON NEW CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

A Church United

As part of the Glasgow Presbytery Plan and following many years as linked congregations the churches of Eastbank and Carntyne Old entered into a union in June 2007. The new congregation was renamed Shettleston New Church to reflect the area it served.

More about Shettleston New Church can be found
on the church website.