Dalziel High Parish Church, Merry Street, Motherwell

Dalziel High Parish Church, Motherwell

Built in 1874, this is a Gothic church of cruciform plan with distinctive towers. The main body is constructed of squared and snecked yellow sandstone with ashlar margins, featuring a square three-stage tower with broach spire at the east corner and a round two-stage tower set back from the south corner. A gabled porch projects from the principal elevation.

The Principal (SE) Elevation

The front entrance is approached by stone steps and consists of a two-leaf door within a gabled porch. The doorway has a double chamfered pointed arch with engaged supporting columns topped by stiffleaf capitals, and hoodmoulds with foliate stops. The gablehead is decorated with a trefoil and cross finial, with a crocketted stone finial at the apex. Small lancet windows flank the entrance bays, set beneath a continuous cill course. Above rises a large four-light window with a quatrefoil to the gablehead and a block finial to the apex.

The square tower dominates the outer right bay. It features continuous hoodmoulds to all openings and a string course between stages. The ground level has a four-centred arched door with staggered small cusped lancets to the right return. The second stage contains a tripartite window with engaged columns to the mullions and a trefoil above. A bowed oriel window sits on a fan corbel at the centre of the left return, with staggered lancets and a stepped string course; paired lancets appear below the third stage string course. The third stage is battered and contains a tripartite arcaded opening to the belfry with engaged columns to the mullions and a clock face above. The parapet is corbelled and crenellated with corner canon spouts, topped by a broach spire.

The squat two-stage round tower to the outer left bay has a double-moulded four-centred arch door on the SE face, a tall lancet to the south of the second stage, and a small lancet to the SE. It is finished with a billeted cornice and conical roof.

The Side Elevations

The northeast elevation shows a five-bay nave with regular fenestration. The ground level features bipartite shouldered arch windows, while the gallery level has bipartite lancets with gabled dormerheads that break the eaves. An advanced gabled transept projects from the outer right bay, with bipartite windows to the ground and flanking windows, topped by a tripartite lancet window to the gablehead with blind fenestration below the transom.

The southwest elevation mirrors the northeast.

Roof and Details

The roof is covered in graded grey slates with lead flashing. Saw-tooth skews are finished with gablet skewputts. All rainwater goods are cast iron. Windows throughout feature diamond and circle pattern leaded glass.

Interior

Access to the church is through double doors from a narrow vestibule into the main nave. The nave is four bays long with an arcaded design supported by cast-iron columns topped with stiffleaf capitals. The square-plan chancel has a moulded architrave. A tiered gallery occupies the southeast end, accessed from the vestibule via flanking stair towers.

Associated Structures

Church Hall (1896), designed by Charles Menzies, is a two-storey structure of T-plan comprising a gabled hall and offices. The gable ends feature tripartite reticulated pointed arch windows with stone mullions and transoms, and blind fenestration beneath. The returns have regular shouldered arch windows. A two-storey four-bay advanced gabled vestry wing extends from the southwest return. A narrow two-storey three-bay gabled link connects the hall to the church chancel, featuring neper gables and a central door to the southeast elevation. A modern addition has been made to the northwest rear gable end. Like the main church, the hall is finished in diamond leaded windows, grey slates, lead flashing, and cast-iron rainwater goods.

Boundary

A low saddleback coped boundary wall encloses the site, punctuated by square-plan gabled piers with quatrefoils to the gableheads. Modern cast-iron railings have been added.