St Margaret's Roman Catholic Church, Hallcraig Street, Airdrie

St Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church is a church dating from 1839, designed by Wilkie and Gray. It is located on Hallcraig Street, Airdrie. The church is a two-storey, three-bay rectangular building with a gabled form and includes a bell tower and spire. It is constructed from yellow sandstone ashlar on the front facade and squared and snecked stone to the sides and rear. A projecting base course, dividing band between the ground and first floors, a narrow eaves course, projecting cornice and a blocking course are all visible on the exterior. Windows feature projecting cills.

The main, south-facing elevation has three bays defined by giant pilasters. The fenestration is regular, with a doorway in the centre beneath a consoled canopy. An entablature supports a pedimented gable, and there are oculi (small circular windows) in the tympanum (the triangular space within the gable). A square bell tower projects, featuring projecting quoins (corner stones), a continuous moulded string course below semicircular arched openings, a projecting cornice, a balustraded parapet and corner piers with ogee caps (rounded, onion-like tops). The octagonal spire is topped with a stone cross finial.

The north-facing rear elevation is a blind gable, with a ruinous side wall of a former lean-to addition facing left. A gable stack is also present. The east-facing side elevation has four bays with tall, semicircular arched windows. An advanced gabled porch is located in the outer left bay, with a blocked window above it. A semicircular arched doorway is at the centre, with a cross finial at the apex of the gable, while a semicircular arched window is visible on the left return. A small, two-bay lean-to is on the right return. The west-facing side elevation is similar to the east, but with a small advanced gabled bay between the first and second bays on the left. A presbytery (the priest’s house) abuts the southwest corner.

The two-storey, three-bay rectangular presbytery is constructed from squared and snecked sandstone rubble. It has a base course, eaves course, projecting cornice, and projecting cills to the windows. The Hallcraig Street (south) elevation has regular fenestration and a large box dormer to the roof. The rear (north) elevation has slightly irregular fenestration with a modern, single flat-roofed addition to the left, and a large box dormer. The east-facing side elevation includes an irregular fenestration, with the outer right bay incorporated into the church’s south elevation. A timber panelled door is present, with a letterbox fanlight (a semicircular window above the door). The west-facing side elevation is a blind gable with modern windows.

The church has grey slate roofing with lead flashing. Coped gable stacks (decorative chimneys) and coped raised skews (sloping sections of roof) are also present. The interior of the church was not inspected in 2001. A low boundary wall of squared sandstone courses with saddleback coping and modern railings stands nearby.