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Summary

Description

Brown and Watt, architects, 1896-1900. Norman-gothic T-plan church with clerestory, transepts and tall open tower. Tooled coursed grey granite with finely margins. Base course; band course; pointed-arched openings; buttressed angles; eaves cornice; decorative stone finials at apex of gables.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 3-bay; gabled centre bay, 3 pairs of small bipartite windows to centre surmounted by tripartite tall lancet window, chamfered and moulded with decorative hoodmoulds; deeply chamfered vesica set in gablehead; oversized buttress flanking to right, gableted with tooled blind basket tracery. Square-plan 4-stage entrance tower adjoining to left; pointed-arched doorway to ground floor, deeply chamfered with hoodmould, 6 stone steps with railings to 2-leaf boarded timber door with small-pane decorative glazed upper panels, vertically glazed fanlight with dentil-moulded cill; tripartite four-centred-arched window to left return; 3 small lancets to 2nd stage above doorway, single lancets to other elevations; pair of lancets to each face of 3rd stage; open 4th stage with pair bipartite windows surmounted by tall open lancets with cusped heads; balustraded of pointed-arched openings, flanked at angles by octagonal pinnaces rising from buttresses; octagonal granite spires with small pointed arched lucarnes flanked by pinnaces to N, S, E and W, decorative iron finial to apex. Single storey bay to left with crenellated parapet, pointed-arched doorway to ground floor, deeply chamfered with hoodmould, 7 stone steps with railings to 2-leaf boarded timber door with small-pane decorative glazed upper panels, vertically glazed fanlight with dentil-moulded cill.

S ELEVATION: 5-bay; asymmetrical; gabled penultimate bay to right with 3 tripartite windows to ground floor, lancet tripartite window above; lean-to bay adjoining to left with 3 small lancets stepped-up to light internal stair, doorway to left return reached by 4 stone steps, 2-leaf boarded timber door with 4-pane upper panels and vertically glazed fanlight with dentil moulded cill; ground floor of flanking bay to left advanced with lean-to roof, single lancet to centre, pair of tripartite lancets above; bay to outer left advanced, small window to left of ground floor, tripartite window above. Octagonal baptistery adjoining to outer left, pointed arched window in hood mould to each face, pointed roof with decorative iron finial, bays adjoining to right not seen 1999, boarded timber door with ramp and steps to left return.

E ELEVATION: vesica set in gablehead of church, remainder obscured by adjoining 7-bay hall; bipartite window to 5 bays to right; penultimate bay to left stepped down, convex-shouldered tripartite window to centre, bay to outer left stepped down, single window.

N ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 7-bay; gabled 3rd bay from left, 3 pairs of bipartite windows to ground floor, tripartite lancet windows above, with trefoil-headed window to centre; lean-to bay flanking to right with 3 small lancets stepped-up to light internal stair, four-centred chamfered doorway to right return, 4 stone steps to boarded timber door with glazed upper panels, vertically glazed fanlight above; 3 recessed bays to right, 2 small windows to advanced ground floor, 3 tripartite windows above; tower adjoining to outer right (see above); doorway advanced to ground floor of penultimate bay to left, 2-leaf boarded timber door with glazed upper panels, vertically glazed fanlight with dentil moulded cill, crenellated parapet; 2 small windows to recessed upper storeys; gabled bay of hall adjoining to outer left, 4-light canted window with piended roof to centre.

Predominantly small-pane leaded and stained glass windows. Grey slate roofs with pierced terracotta ridges. Coped ridge and gablehead stacks to S, with circular cans. Coped stone skews. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: decoratively panelled timber porch; nave and side aisles, divided by pink granite pointed-arched arcades on squat polished granite columns; galleries to N and S transepts and W of nave with decoratively panelled fronts and raked seating, bipartite arches through 2 storeys fronting transepts, central polished granite supporting column. Pine pews with decorative pew ends; panelled octagonal gothic pulpit, gothic communion table and lectern; round arch to chancel, containing organ; very fine stained glass, including the Fleming memorial window to the E by John M Aiken, 1929; gothic boarded timber doors with decoratively leaded and glazed upper panels. Ribbed timber barrel-vaulted roof.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: low coped granite walls to N and W, rubble wall to remainder; convex shouldered doorway set in stepped up wall to NE, boarded timber door; wall stepped up to NW corner with tooled datestone reading "1900"; 2 square-plan gatepiers with chamfered angles and pyramidal caps to W, flanking walls stepped-up; railings and gates removed.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Beechgrove Church was originally built for the Free Church. It was built as part of the Extension movement, to serve what was a new residential district around Mid Stocket Road and Mile-End in Aberdeen. Discussions about the new church began in 1896. Brown and Watt were chosen as architects, and their church design when completed "arrested attention by reason of the refinement and dignity of the design and the soaring, stately spire; and they asserted themselves at once amongst the finest ecclesiastical edifices in the city" (Gammie, p86). In addition to the exceptional spire, the church boasts some particularly fine stained glass.

References

Bibliography

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