Description
Pugin and Pugin, 1896-1906. Geometric Gothic, basilican-plan church with polygonal baptistery to SW, buttressed and canted apse to E; gallery, 2-storey sacristy and presbytery linked to SE. Bull-faced red sandstone coursers; red sandstone ashlar dressings; base course and string courses (prominent splayed base course to N). and sacristy with late 20th century garage projection to SW corner: M-gable to S; transomed and mullioned bipartite and quadripartite windows. 1896, 2-storey, 9-bay gothic-detailed hall (former school) to S of site.
CHURCH: W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: later stepped masonry entrance with wheelchair ramp to right; 3 pointed arched hoodmoulded doorways, timber double-leaf doors with geometric tracery fanlights; large hoodmoulded 4-pointed window with central niche and sculpture depicting St Augustine to base flanked by 2 geometric circles and surmounted by large circle window containing 4 smaller tracery circles; dagger light to gablehead; masonry cross finial to gable apex; square-plan buttresses flanking central section. Four-centre-arched geometric traceried windows to flanking aisles terminated by low buttresses.
S: ELEVATION: bays. Advanced polygonal baptistery to far left with 5 hoodmoulded reticulated windows; slightly advanced pointed arched porch with moulded and gablet skewputt to right; 5 lancet windows to pitched aisle (containing confessionals);recessed bay with segmental-arched window; advanced 2-storey, stepped gabled gallery section to right (linked to sacristy to far right) with hoodmoulded pointed- and segmental-arched windows, doorway to right return; paired lancet windows to far right separated by breaking eaves shouldered and gabled buttress.
E (DUNDYVAN ROAD) ELEVATION: canted angle buttressed apse with central narrow breaking eaves dormered geometric tracery window; hoodmoulded pointed windows to flanking faces; hoodmoulded circular window to right aisle; pitched aisle to left with hoodmoulded pointed arched window; wrought-iron cross finial. Sacristy and presbytery linkedto far left.
N (BUCHANAN STREET) ELEVATION: 7-bays. Low buttressed aisle with 6 segmental-arched reticulated windows to right; hoodmoulded reticulated window to far left (to chapel) separated by paired buttresses. 6 four-pointed continuous hoodmoulded windows at clerestory; paired lancet windows to far left separated by breaking eaves shouldered and gabled buttress.
Stained glass to principal windows to E; diamond panes to secondary windows; boarded timber doors. Pitched roof, grey slates; terracotta ridge tiles; decorative cast-iron rainwater goods; straight stone skews; gablet skewputts.
INTERIOR: timber framed entrance porch with diamond-paned coloured glass panels supporting carved and panelled upper gallery containing large timber pipe organ (ex Kilmarnock Town Hall). Decorative brass screen fronting baptistery to S of entrance porch. 5-pointed masonry arches with octagonal-plan columns flanking nave; plaster walls; timber beamed and bracketed roof with quatrefoil decoration; original yellow pine pews. White and green carved and pierced marble altar rail with elaborate brass and enamel gates; extensive use of encaustic tiles to chancel floor; green and white marble pulpit with carved figures of Evangelists set in cusped panels with paired columns; rectangular marble altar with carved gothic style panels; large highly decorative Caen limestone reredos set within canted apse with narrow tracery panels, central pinnacled and columned tabernacle niche, canopied niche with Resurrection scene above, carved figures of St Augustine and St Ambrose in flanking niches. Lady alter to S aisle of carved white marble with pinnacled niches at each end, yellow marble inset panels and green marble columnettes, later mosaic work to central panels. Sacred Heart altar to N, of white marble with yellow marble and red mosaic plate tracery panels, red marble colonnettes flanking the whole. Octagonal white marble baptismal font, small green columns surrounding base. Panelled and carved timber confessionals with pierced cresting rail. Our Lady of Perpetual Succour shrine (circa 1940) of opaque glass mosaic and gold leaf adorning walls of recess originally intended as mortuary chapel. Stained glass windows depicting various saints and Christ to E end of church only.
PRESBYTERY (INCLUDING SACRISTY AND S GALLERY): Pugin & Pugin, 1896-1906. 2-storey, M-gabled, square-plan, presbytery in Tudor-Gothic style; linked to 2-room ground floor sacristy (abutting church) with 1st floor gallery opening on to church to W and further presbytery bedroom accommodation to 1st floor E; substantial single-storey late 20th century garage extension to SW. Red sandstone bull-faced coursers; red sandstone ashlar dressings; base course; cill courses, moulded eaves course; 2-, 3- and 4-light transomed and mullioned windows to presbytery and sacristy, hoodmoulded reticulated windows to gallery. Straight stone skews; gablet skewputts; stone crucifix finials to gable apex; coped and shouldered bull-faced masonry stacks; circular clay cans. Interior: encaustic tiles to hall; timber staircase with chamfered balusters and quatrefoil decoration; original timber panel doors. Timber arched beams and supports to sacristy. Open-plan stepped gallery; timber-framed canted roof; cantilevered carved and panelled timber balcony.
HALL: Pugin & Pugin, 1896. 2-storey, 9-bay (arranged 1-7-1), rectangular-plan Tudor-Gothic former school. Bull-faced red sandstone coursers; base course; moulded eaves course. N (principal) elevation: symmetrical. 7 segmental 12-pane ground floor windows to central section; flanking full-height piended porch and stair towers (that to left stepped). Central breaking eaves gabled dormer 4-light transomed and mullioned window at 1st floor, flanking segmental arched windows; round arched breaking eaves gambrel dormers to penultimate bays; segmental windows to outer bays. Plain gables to E and W elevations. S (rear) elevation: similar arrangement to N. Timber framed windows; pitched and piended roofs; graded grey slates; cast-iron roof-lights; coped and shouldered bull-faced stack to E. Interior altered to form church hall accommodation.
BOUNDARY WALLS, GATEPIERS AND GATES: stepped low coped bull-faced coursed wall with cast-ironrailings; 7 octagonal-plan gatepiers and piers with rounded and pointed caps (to E at Dundyvan Road). Coped random rubble wall (later rendered) to W boundary.
Statement of Special Interest
The chosen site for St Augustine was that of the former Drumpellier Seminary. Although the church, presbytery and school were planned in 1896-1897, the church was only built after the turn of the century; the school and presbytery were built first (completed by 1899). The commission for St Augustine was completed by the highly important firm of British architects, Pugin & Pugin, who are recognised primarily for their prestigious church commissions throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. Under the direction of Peter Paul Pugin (1851-1904 - youngest son of A W N Pugin [1812-1852]), the Pugin & Pugin practice of architects held a virtual monopoly of church building for the archdiocese of Glasgow in latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
The church of St Augustine and its related buildings remain mostly in their original state and demonstrate the use of high quality materials, fine decorative finishes throughout, and great attention to detail. Of particular note is the W window (based on the form of the great W window at Rheims Cathedral - a prominent circle within a pointed arch), which displays an almost abstract quality. A simple yet practical plan links the presbytery via a spacious sacristy to the equally spacious church. St Augustine Coatbridge is typical of the catholic churches produced by Pugin & Pugin for the Archdiocese of Glasgow, all of which display a basilican plan, wide aisles with clear views to the chancel and similar decorative arrangement and placement of baptistery and chapels.
The overall architectural style reflects an early Gothic form in the use of the basilican plan, but combines elements of the later Decorated style. Typical of Peter Paul Pugin is the use of texture and massing (e.g. 'A' form of entrance elevation), the unusual tracery patterns and the dominant W fronts. In the interior, emphasis was given to the altar with the reredos as a focus point, stressing the importance of the Blessed Sacrament and also conforming to current Canon Law. St Augustine represents the apogee of Peter Paul Pugin's urban church style, established at Kinning Park (1881) and used extensively as a type after 1890.
Peter Paul joined his brother Edward Welby Pugin (1834-1875) in practice and after his death in 1875 formed a new firm with his brother Cuthbert Welby Pugin (1840-1928) and G C Ashlin (1837-1921). Peter Paul was in sole charge of the practice after 1880 when C W Pugin and Ashlin left. From this date until he died in 1904, P P Pugin designed circa 28 new churches in Scotland, the bulk of which were executed in the last 10 years of his life. The practice also executed many alterations and refurnishings of existing Scottish Catholic churches, presbyteries, schools, etc. Peter Paul's first commission in Scotland was for St Francis Church and Friary, Cumberland Street, Glasgow (1878 see separate listing), probably initiating his long-term association with the Glasgow Diocese. This commission coincided with the restoration of the Scottish Catholic Hierarchy of 1878 which coincidentally launched an extensive church and school building programme. However, cementing his relationship with the Glasgow Diocese was his design for St Peter's College, Bearsden (1889 - demolished) through which he developed a close relationship with Archbishop Charles Eyre, who oversaw most of the Pugin & Pugin commissions, including St Augustine, Coatbridge. St Augustine, Coatbridge is one of 3 Pugin & Pugin churches in the burgh, including St Mary's, Hozier Street and St Peter's, Main Street (see separate listings).
The great rise in population at the end of the century saw the influx of thousands of Irish Catholic immigrants who came to Coatbridge to work in the numerous local iron and coal manufactures. (The population had almost quadrupled since 1851, Catholic chapels with their related schools were first established around the mid 19th century, but once the Catholic population expanded to sustainable numbers towards the end of the century the Glasgow Archdiocese, with the support of resourceful local parish priests were able to provide the religious and educational buildings the community required. (This note was compiled primarily from J Saunders, "Pugin & Pugin and the Diocese of Glasgow".)