St_John's_Methodist_Church,_Arbroath

St John's Methodist Church, Arbroath

St John's Methodist Church, Arbroath

Church in Scotland

St John's Methodist Church, on Ponderlaw Street, Arbroath, Scotland, was founded by John Wesley on 6 May 1772.[1] The nave is octagonal and the church has been nicknamed Totum Kirkie from 'totum', an eight-sided spinning top, and 'kirk', the Scottish word for church. It is a listed building and the second-oldest[2] Methodist church in Scotland.

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Architecture

St John's is an octagonal church — a style that was preferred by John Wesley.[3][4] The interior of the church has not been altered; however, the church was extended in 1882 when a porch and gallery were added. A church hall was built in 1896.[5] The Lifeboat Window is a memorial to the loss of the RNLI lifeboat Robert Lindsay (ON 874) and six crew members in 1953.

The building became a Category B listed building on 11 October 1971.[2]

Manse

The Church's former manse, now Wesley House, located next door, is also a listed building.[6] It was built as a single-storey building in 1772; an upper storey was added in 1869.[3]

George Scott Railton (1849 – 1913), the first Commissioner of The Salvation Army and second in command to its founder William Booth,[7][8] was born in the manse. He was the son of Methodist missionaries, Lancelot Railton and his wife, Margaret Scott.[9] A blue plaque marks his birthplace.

Archives

Archives relating to the church are held by Archive Services University of Dundee as part of the Arbroath and Montrose Methodist Circuit Collection.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "St John's Methodist Church, Arbroath". Scotland's Churches Trust. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  2. [2]
    Historic Environment Scotland. "St. John's Methodist Church, 15 Ponderlaw Street (Category B Listed Building) (LB21147)". Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. [3]
    "Arbroath Octagonal Chapel". Methodist Heritage. Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  4. [4]
    Serjeant, Ian. "Historic Methodist Architecture and its Protection". buildingconservation.com. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  5. [5]
    "St John's Methodist Church, Arbroath". Scottish Church Heritage Research. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  6. [6]
    Historic Environment Scotland. "Wesley House, Ponderlaw Street (Category C Listed Building) (LB21148)". Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  7. [7]
    Railton on the Salvation Army International Heritage Centre website
  8. [8]
    'The General: William Booth' By David Malcolm Bennett, Contributor: David Malcolm Bennett Published by Xulon Press (2003) pg 96 ISBN 1-59467-206-7
  9. [9]
    Elizabeth Baigent, ‘Railton, David (1884–1955)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2005
  10. [10]
    "Arbroath and Montrose Methodist Circuit". University of Dundee. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  11. [11]
    "MS 26 Methodist Church, Arbroath and Montrose". Archive Services Online Catalogue. University of Dundee. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
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