a congregation of the Church of Scotland
Airdrie, Scotland
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Airdrie Flowerhill Parish Church of Scotland is a registered charity. Ref No. SC014555

A Church is Born
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In the Spring of 1873, the Rev. James Paton and certain members of Graham Street Reformed Presbyterian Congregation, Airdrie, resigned their claim to the Church and found themselves without a Church of their own.
In June 1873, Mr Paton and approximately 67% of the R.P Congregation was received into Communion of the Church of Scotland.
Soon afterwards, steps were taken towards the erection of a Parish Church, to seat 900, a Hall to seat 350.
Although the Congregation's contributions were very generous, clearly the task of raising around £11,000 for the purchase of a suitable site and the building costs was too much to expect from this source alone. Funds were obtained from various Trusts, Bequests, and various friends of the Church but chiefly through   the tireless efforts of Alexander Whitelaw of Gartshore who was an MP for the City of Glasgow and nephew of the Baird brothers of Gartsherrie, local iron founders.
A Plaque can be seen in the Entrance Vestibule of the Church in grateful recognition of the assistance of Alexander Whitelaw in the Birth of Flowerhill Church.
A local Architect, Matthew Forsyth of Springwells, was commissioned; the first sod was cut on 28 March 1874, the foundation stone was laid on 13 October 1874 and the Church was opened for public worship on Sunday 27 June 1875.
Although Flowerhill Church was now in being, it did not have the standing of a Parish Church until December 1875/January 1876 when its parish boundaries were established.
Over the years these boundaries have changed as the town of Airdrie developed and other Churches closed.
A watercolour of the original buildings was presented to the Church in 1924 by Mrs Gibson and, at present, hangs on the wall of the stairway in Kirk House.
CHANGES OVER THE YEARS
Since the opening of the Church in June 1875, there have been visible changes to the original buildings.
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In 1927, a suite of small halls adjoining and communicating with the main hall was built.
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In 1936, after two years of anguished discussion, the decision was taken, in the interests of safety, to lower the tower.