Rubislaw Church Explained

Rubislaw Church
Denomination:Church of Scotland
Churchmanship:Reformed
Presbytery:Aberdeen
Minister:Rev Robert L Smith
Website:www.rubislawchurch.org.uk

Rubislaw Church is a Church of Scotland parish church in the Queen's Cross area of Aberdeen, Scotland. It has a recently refurbished church centre on Fountainhall Road.

History

Rubislaw Church was constructed as part of a national Church of Scotland expansion campaign following the Disruption of 1843. It was constructed in 1874. Unusually for Aberdeen, the church is built out of sandstone opposed to granite as the majority of the buildings in Aberdeen are. George Washington Wilson offered to pay for the building to be constructed in granite but was too late as the contract had already been signed. It was constructed to serve three new parishes. In 1880, the church was expanded with a tower and spire added. It is speculated that the spire was built just to compete with the Free Church of Scotland's Queen's Cross Church across the street.

In 1985, the church was granted grade B heritage status by Historic Scotland. In 2019, the Church of Scotland announced they were planning to sell Rubislaw Church as part of a church consolidation plan.[1]

Manse

The minister of the church had originally lived in a manse bungalow in the church's graveyard until 1922 when a six bedroom house was purchased by the Church of Scotland in Rubislaw Den. In 2016, the church announced plans to sell the new manse for £1 million representing the largest amount raised by the church following a manse sale.[2]

See also

References

  1. News: Church of Scotland considers selling half Aberdeen's churches . BBC News . 9 October 2019. 2020-03-28.
  2. News: Scotland's first £1 million manse for sale in Aberdeen's most exclusive street . Press and Journal . 2020-03-28.

External links

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