Hyndland Parish Church
History
Designed by the well-known Glasgow architect William Leiper, and completed in 1887, this quietly elegant church is now an A-Listed Building. Extensive external and interior restoration work was done in 1995-97, in part supported by Historic Scotland, and the rest from the congregation and the local community.
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In designing the church at Hyndland William Leiper made a clear break away from his previous fine Gothic designs for other Glasgow churches with galleries in favour of a more typically mediaeval layout. It was built in red Ballochmyle sandstone, and the eventual cost of the original building was £11,000. Leiper's intended steeple was never built.
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The interior has a central aisle and quatrefoiled sectioned columns with richly carved foliage capitals to the side aisles; striking black and red floor tiles to the entrance areas and to the chancel, which is raised. The furnishings in the chancel are uniformly excellent, with carved elder stalls lining the chancel walls, and carved choir stalls left and right. The pulpit is of richly sculptured alabaster and marble. The communion table is marble.
The fine timber roof is supported on consoles consisting of carved heads. In 1908 the church was one of the first to have electric lighting installed - the original highly decorative cast iron chandeliers have fortunately survived. Particularly worthy of note is the pair of especially ornate and gilded chandeliers in the chancel - based on the design of a German lamp currently in Kensington Museum.
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William Leiper hoped that, as funds became available, the original plain glazing throughout would be replaced progressively with stained glass. Happily this hope has been realised, and the eloquent beauty of this church is today enhanced by a superb collection of stained glass spanning more than a century.
The Organ
The Building
Exterior shot of Hyndland Parish Church
Famed Scottish Architect William Leiper
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The organ of Hyndland Parish Church is regarded as one of the finest examples of Henry Willis's early work.
The original instrument was installed between 1887 and 1890, rebuilt in 1913, and restored and improved in 1954. Essential repairs were carried out in 1974 and again in 1978.
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It has three manuals and thirty-one speaking stops. Although fully authentic performances of Baroque music are not possible, the rich tone of the instrument (enhanced by the magnificent acoustic of the church) nevertheless makes renderings of Bach and his contemporaries satisfactory to all but the most dedicated purists.
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At the same time it has not undergone the kind of restoration imposed on so many instruments (particularly since the Second World War). In consequence it has achieved its own rarity value, and stands now as a monument to organ-building standards at the turn of the century. In fact, it may now be considered one of the best equipped organs available for authentic performances of British music of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.