The history of our Building at Church Street, Broxburn
Before the building of what we now know as Broxburn Parish Church, people had to walk to either Mid Calder or to Bridgend on the Sabbath. However the increasing population of Broxburn, mostly due to the rapid but steady growth of the shale oil industry, led to a demand for a United Presbyterian (or UP) Church in Broxburn.
So, on Sunday 22 June 1879, people gathered in the public hall for a service conducted by Rev Wiliam Duncan. Rev Duncan was at the time Junior Minister of the United Presbyterian Congregation at Mid Calder. He preached on alternative Sunday evenings in the Public Hall in Broxburn and was a stalwart in building the Congregation.
Numbers attending meetings increased steadily. Edinburgh Presbytery was approached and gave their agreement in due course to constitute a Congregation, appoint a provisional Session and call a Minister.
The first Minister was Rev James Primrose- who Primrose Court is named after. At this stage the Congregation had a Minister but no Church building. Amazingly, only 2½ months after they had called their first Minister, the foundation stone of the Church was laid.
Just over 1 year later the new Broxburn United Presbyterian Church with accommodation for 320 people was completed at a cost of £2750.The Church was built in the Gothic style of the 13th century under the direction of Hippolyte Jean Blanc, an architect whose French parents who had a shoe shop in Edinburgh. Blanc designed many other Churches , including Kirkliston Free Church and Morningside Free Church which is now the Church Hill Theatre, as well as carrying out restoration work at St Cuthberts Edinburgh. In 1898 he won a competition to design Bangour Village Hospital.
The 90-foot spire of the Church was a real feature and within that spire was and still is a bell which was a gift from a Mr N M Henderson.
The first service in the new Church took place on 29th December 1881. Sabbath School was started along with Band of Hope and Sabbath Morning Fellowship, and in June 1882 it was decided to petition Presbytery for permission to build a Manse.
On 31st October 1900 the first union took place and the name of the Church changed to East United Free Church, and the sister Church adopted the name West United Free Church. A joint service marking the union took place in the November, at the West Church, with seats having to be placed in the aisles to accommodate everyone.
Accommodation became a pressing issue here too at the East United Free Church, and in 1904, plans were approved for an extension giving 200 extra seats. It involved the removal of the north gable of the Church, re-erecting it 13 feet further back and building transepts on either side, 24 feet long and 12 feet deep. This would provide an additional 200 seats in the Sanctuary. The Session Room and Vestry were also added at this time, as well as the big hall which could accommodate 300 people.
This all came at a price- the Manse had cost £1000, and the extension to the Church and hall £5210, making over £6000 on top of normal running expenses. How did they manage to raise the money? There were some very generous donors, but behind the male stalwarts, were the ladies, who were equal to the men in their big ideas and pioneering spirit. A bazaar on a mammoth scale was planned and set about with enthusiasm and drive. It raised the sum of £400, 2s and 31/2 d, with a 2-day sale of work bringing in a further £170. Mr N M Henderson, came to the fore again, and offered £200, if members could find £500 in 4 years. As a result of tremendous generosity and hard work, the Church once again stood debt free by the end of 1910.
1912 saw a proposal to introduce individual cups at Communion, although it was not until 1919 that it was agreed and procured – with the Common cup gifted by Sir James Steel still also in use by those who preferred this option.
In 1923 a new pipe organ and electric lights were introduced to the Church, and then in 1926 to the Manse.
In 1929, another union took place with a change of name again – this time to Broxburn East Church of Scotland. Further changes came with the Church being known as St Johns and then St Andrews. 1969 saw the rededication and reopening of St Andrews Church after a devastating fire on 30th December 1966.
It started in the roof of the Church and destroyed the interior including the pews and organ. However the spire and the solid stone walls were relatively unscathed. This mean that the exterior appearance of the Church did not markedly change.
Finally in 1975 a new basis of union was agreed between St Andrews Church and Broxburn West Church of Scotland, creating Broxburn Parish Church.
Then just as now, music plays a big part in services. It was written back in 1929, that “it has been the subject of frequent remarks by visiting ministers and other visitors that they have rarely heard better congregational singing than is to be heard in our Church.”
According to a handwritten note found in the Church’s records the pulpit was bought from Armadale Parish Church, because their minister Rev Emmanuel Robertson could not stand heights! The note also states that the reason there was no new seating in the gallery is because the cost of such seating was underestimated. This meant that pews were brought from Broxburn West Church to fill the gallery! These pews are still there today.
The future will undoubtedly bring further change, but if anything is clear from our history, it is that change is nothing new!
Anne Gunn
So, on Sunday 22 June 1879, people gathered in the public hall for a service conducted by Rev Wiliam Duncan. Rev Duncan was at the time Junior Minister of the United Presbyterian Congregation at Mid Calder. He preached on alternative Sunday evenings in the Public Hall in Broxburn and was a stalwart in building the Congregation.
Numbers attending meetings increased steadily. Edinburgh Presbytery was approached and gave their agreement in due course to constitute a Congregation, appoint a provisional Session and call a Minister.
The first Minister was Rev James Primrose- who Primrose Court is named after. At this stage the Congregation had a Minister but no Church building. Amazingly, only 2½ months after they had called their first Minister, the foundation stone of the Church was laid.
Just over 1 year later the new Broxburn United Presbyterian Church with accommodation for 320 people was completed at a cost of £2750.The Church was built in the Gothic style of the 13th century under the direction of Hippolyte Jean Blanc, an architect whose French parents who had a shoe shop in Edinburgh. Blanc designed many other Churches , including Kirkliston Free Church and Morningside Free Church which is now the Church Hill Theatre, as well as carrying out restoration work at St Cuthberts Edinburgh. In 1898 he won a competition to design Bangour Village Hospital.
The 90-foot spire of the Church was a real feature and within that spire was and still is a bell which was a gift from a Mr N M Henderson.
The first service in the new Church took place on 29th December 1881. Sabbath School was started along with Band of Hope and Sabbath Morning Fellowship, and in June 1882 it was decided to petition Presbytery for permission to build a Manse.
On 31st October 1900 the first union took place and the name of the Church changed to East United Free Church, and the sister Church adopted the name West United Free Church. A joint service marking the union took place in the November, at the West Church, with seats having to be placed in the aisles to accommodate everyone.
Accommodation became a pressing issue here too at the East United Free Church, and in 1904, plans were approved for an extension giving 200 extra seats. It involved the removal of the north gable of the Church, re-erecting it 13 feet further back and building transepts on either side, 24 feet long and 12 feet deep. This would provide an additional 200 seats in the Sanctuary. The Session Room and Vestry were also added at this time, as well as the big hall which could accommodate 300 people.
This all came at a price- the Manse had cost £1000, and the extension to the Church and hall £5210, making over £6000 on top of normal running expenses. How did they manage to raise the money? There were some very generous donors, but behind the male stalwarts, were the ladies, who were equal to the men in their big ideas and pioneering spirit. A bazaar on a mammoth scale was planned and set about with enthusiasm and drive. It raised the sum of £400, 2s and 31/2 d, with a 2-day sale of work bringing in a further £170. Mr N M Henderson, came to the fore again, and offered £200, if members could find £500 in 4 years. As a result of tremendous generosity and hard work, the Church once again stood debt free by the end of 1910.
1912 saw a proposal to introduce individual cups at Communion, although it was not until 1919 that it was agreed and procured – with the Common cup gifted by Sir James Steel still also in use by those who preferred this option.
In 1923 a new pipe organ and electric lights were introduced to the Church, and then in 1926 to the Manse.
In 1929, another union took place with a change of name again – this time to Broxburn East Church of Scotland. Further changes came with the Church being known as St Johns and then St Andrews. 1969 saw the rededication and reopening of St Andrews Church after a devastating fire on 30th December 1966.
It started in the roof of the Church and destroyed the interior including the pews and organ. However the spire and the solid stone walls were relatively unscathed. This mean that the exterior appearance of the Church did not markedly change.
Finally in 1975 a new basis of union was agreed between St Andrews Church and Broxburn West Church of Scotland, creating Broxburn Parish Church.
Then just as now, music plays a big part in services. It was written back in 1929, that “it has been the subject of frequent remarks by visiting ministers and other visitors that they have rarely heard better congregational singing than is to be heard in our Church.”
According to a handwritten note found in the Church’s records the pulpit was bought from Armadale Parish Church, because their minister Rev Emmanuel Robertson could not stand heights! The note also states that the reason there was no new seating in the gallery is because the cost of such seating was underestimated. This meant that pews were brought from Broxburn West Church to fill the gallery! These pews are still there today.
The future will undoubtedly bring further change, but if anything is clear from our history, it is that change is nothing new!
Anne Gunn
