Park Church And Hall, Church Street, Uddingston

Park Church and Hall, Church Street, Uddingston

Designed by Robert Baldie in 1863 with later alterations and additions, this is a gable-ended, Latin cross-plan galleried hall church constructed in stugged pink sandstone ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. It sits on a raised terrace. A four-stage square-plan buttressed tower rises to the left, with the tower octagonal from the fourth stage upwards and topped by an octagonal spire. An adjoining castellated church hall has been added to the rear.

Architectural detailing includes a cill course at ground level, hoodmoulds over the door and flanking windows, a machicolation course below the cill course to the main gable window, hoodmould over the main gable window, and a cornice to the fourth stage of the tower. Windows feature chamfered reveals, pointed arches, stone tracery, and aproned cills.

The principal (east) elevation displays a roll-moulded pointed-arched doorpiece at ground centre, with a deep-set two-leaf boarded door decorated with wrought-iron hinges. Small windows flank this door, with a Y-traceried window above. A small circular motif appears in the gablehead, crowned by a crucifix finial at the apex. A window sits at ground level in the bay to the right, with a pointed-arched door and small paired windows above, set back in an outer right bay. The tower contains a window at the first stage, a bipartite window at the second stage, a clock at the third stage, and tall louvered openings to each side of the fourth stage. A pointed-arched door with paired small windows above sits set back to the outer left.

The south elevation consists of a three-bay original block with a two-bay addition to the outer left rear. The original three-bay section features a bipartite window to a side porch in the centre bay and a three-light pointed-arched window in a gabled bay to the left. The two-bay addition has a cavetto-moulded doorpiece at ground in the right bay, with a two-leaf boarded door and bipartite window above. A tripartite window appears at ground in the outer left bay with a tripartite window above, beneath a castellated gable with string course.

The north elevation comprises the three-bay original block with a piended addition to the outer right. A window sits in the centre bay, while a pointed-arched doorpiece at ground in a gabled bay to the outer left contains a boarded door with fanlight and plate-traceried window to the gable above. A three-light pointed-arched window appears in the gabled bay to the right.

Fixed leaded stained-glass windows light the interior. The roof is grey slate, with slate to the rear addition. The spire is zinc with a weather vane. Ashlar coped stacks sit to the rear addition, with ashlar coped skews. Cast-iron rainwater goods with some uPVC replacements serve the rear.

Internally, timber-panelled galleries run along the east, north and south sides on cast-iron columnar supports. Timber pews line the floor with timber boarded dado below a decorative cornice. The shallow pitched roof is painted plaster panelled with slim timber margins. Steps lead to a carved timber-panelled pulpit at the centre of the east end, with organ pipes behind. A lectern and organ stand in front, flanked by point-arched timber-panelled doors. The vestibule features a decorative cornice with stone steps, barleysugar cast-iron banisters and timber handrail leading to the gallery above.

The boundary treatment comprises two pairs of circular-plan bull-faced red sandstone ashlar piers flanking a rising wall between them, featuring blind tear-headed slits and stepped conical caps. Converted gas lamps crown each inner pier. Steps from each pier lead to the terrace above, flanked by shorter similar piers. Bull-faced red sandstone ashlar walls with ridged ashlar cope form the boundary. The original wrought-iron railings and gates have been replaced.