OUR BUILDINGS
The foundation stone of the new church to be erected by the heritors of the Parish of Tarbolton was laid on the 26th April 1820.
The new building, designed by the architect Mr. J Galt, with a seating capacity of 950 and an imposing steeple rising 90 feet above ground level was dedicated in June 1821. The total cost of this beautiful building was £2,500.
The new building was built on the site of a much older church in which the bard Robert Burns worshipped during his time within the parish.
On Sunday the 15th March 1908 the new pipe organ, built by Norman and Beard (Norwich) was dedicated and the guest organist was Herbert Walton of Glasgow Cathedral. This very fine instrument has served the congregation well over the last 100 years .
Tragedy struck the building on 17th.May 1909 at 8.45pm - a bolt of lightning tore through the steeple with some forty feet of the spire masonry crashing onto the street and through the roof of the church causing extensive damage to the balcony area. It is worth noting that the steeple was rebuilt, the interior of the church repaired to allow the congregation to worship within the sanctuary by the November communion service of that same year.
The year 1943 was a most important one in the spiritual life of the parish. There had been over the years three different Presbyterian traditions ministering in the parish. Two had united in 1903 and in 1943 the remaining two happily agreed to unite. The Parish Church was retained as the place of worship while the Erskine Church (built in 1777) was retained as the Church Hall and is still used as such.
1954 saw a sympathetic refurbishment of the ground floor of the church. A central aisle was formed. The chancel area was raised and the complete set of new furniture, generously gifted by families within the congregation, created a sanctuary of simple beauty. Since then many gifts have been dedicated to the Glory of God which enhance the sanctuary, enrich each service and enable the congregation to embrace new ideas, new tools, new methods to make our act of worship meaningful and worthwhile.
