Ruthrieston South Church, Holburn Street, Aberdeen

Ruthrieston South Church, located on Holburn Street in Aberdeen, was designed by Marshal Mackenzie of Matthew and Mackenzie and built in 1890. It is a T-plan church constructed in a simple Gothic style, with later hall additions in 1904 and 1971. The church has a basement on the east side, and a single-story hall with two-story additions. It is constructed of finely finished, coursed Aberdeen bond granite, with a base course, string course at cill level, chamfered reveals, blocking buttresses, and predominantly trefoil-headed windows. An eaves course runs around the building.

The south (entrance) elevation is asymmetrical, with seven bays. A steeply-pitched, gableted porch occupies the penultimate bay on the left, featuring a pointed-arched doorway with a hoodmould and decorative label stops, a boarded timber door with decorative ironwork hinges, and a stone crucifix at the apex. A quadripartite window is on the left return, while the right return is blank. Single windows are located in the flanking bays on both sides, and a single window is in the penultimate bay to the right. This is flanked by bipartite windows to the left and right. Church hall additions are advanced to the outer right; the 1904 hall has a gable, and the 1971 addition features a tile-hung first floor on the left return.

The east elevation is asymmetrical with a gabled section. It incorporates a 3-light pointed-arched window with a hoodmould and decorative label stops, flanked by trefoil-headed windows. A crucifix is at the apex. The church hall is advanced to the left, with two flat-arched windows and a single pointed-arched window on the right return.

The north elevation is nearly symmetrical, with seven bays, featuring alternating single and bipartite windows in each bay. A northeastern lean-to transept adjoins the building at the outer left. A timber door provides access to the basement via stone steps, flanked by a modern window and a quadripartite window centred above.

The west elevation is symmetrical and gabled, with a pointed-arched window surround at the centre containing a five-light arrangement of alternating pointed-arched and trefoil-headed windows. A trefoil window is set in the gablehead above, and a bellcote with a bell and a Celtic cross is placed at the apex.

The windows are predominantly square-pane leaded with stained glass panels. The roof is covered in grey slate with a lead ridge and cast-iron ventilators, with a graded roof to the porch. Coped skews have moulded skewputts, and cast-iron rainwater goods are in place.

Inside, the church has timber panelling below dado level, an aisless nave, simple timber pews, and segmental-arched window surrounds. The roof is barrel-vaulted timber. A panelled timber porch leads to the entrance. The chancel is stepped up, with a decorative timber screen on the east wall, a replacement stained glass window above, and a gothic pulpit. The hall, located to the southeast, features panelled decoration below dado level, decorative cornicing, and mouldings to the ventilators, as well as a stage to the north.

The surrounding boundary consists of rubble walls to the south, east, and north. The west boundary is defined by coped, coursed granite walls which step up to form gatepiers, and a decorative cast-iron two-leaf gate.