Templehall Parish Church

This church was constructed in 1955-6 to serve the new housing areas of Templehall and Valley Gardens. The congregation, which was an extension of Victoria Road Church, formed in 1952. They originally met in two old officers' mess huts in Cleish Gardens (site number: 10540) which have now been demolished. The church sits in a grass covered precinct surrounded by a low wall and hedge. The main entrance is on the southern side of the precinct and there is a further entranceway on the eastern side leading to a car parking area at the back (north) of the church. There is a bell tower at the southwest corner of the church and a vestry extension on the northern side. There is also a church hall of a later date to the west.  The old hall had originally been used as the church for this area (site no. 10540) before the current Templehall Parish Church was constructed.

The church is harled, with a slate roof.

There is a gabled porch extending from the western end of the southern elevation. This porch has a broad arched doorway with a setback two leaf painted door which has steps and a ramp leading up to it. There is an arrowslit in the gablehead of the porch. There are four small windows on the return to the east and a further two on the return to the west. There is barbed wire running around the eaves on the return to east and west. Set in the return to the east is the square plan bell tower.   In the principal elevation there is a narrow square headed window to the west of the porch and a round window to the east. The nave is divided into four bays, each with a large round headed window. The central two windows are stained glass. The two easternmost bays are set back; this is where the chancel is on the interior. The penultimate bay from the eastern end has a large round headed stained glass window whilst the easternmost bay has a narrow twelve paned square headed window.

The square plan tower is at the southwest corner of the church, in the western return between the porch and the principal elevation. There is a door in the western face of the tower. There is a round clock with Roman numerals set at the top of each face below the belfry stage which is slightly set back from the main tower. On the south and north faces of the belfry stage there is a round arched louvered opening with arrowslit above, whilst on the eastern and western faces there is a bipartite square headed louvered opening. The belfry is topped by a gabled slate roof.

The western face is composed of an advanced slate roofed gabled bay which is slightly lower than the main gable. In the advanced bay there are three square headed windows with eight panes and painted frames. There is an arrowslit in the main gablehead.

On the northern elevation the nave is divided into six bays, each with a large round arched plain glazed window. There are two further bays at the eastern end where the chancel is on the interior. Set in the penultimate bay from the eastern end there is the porch.   In the main elevation above the lean-to roof there are two small windows. In the easternmost bay there is narrow window mirroring that on the southern elevation. In front of the two westernmost bays of the nave there is a separately roofed vestry which is joined to the church by a single storey flat roofed passageway. The vestry is composed of a hipped roofed section to the east and a semicircular bay to west. Joined to the semicircular bay on the western side is a flat roofed long passageway which conects this structure with the church hall.

The eastern face is composed of three bays, with the outer two angled back to the northwest and southwest. Near the base of the central bay is the foundation stone which was laid by Mr Alistair Spencer-Nairn of Balgeddie on the 6th April 1955. A time capsule containing contemporary papers, stamps and coins was placed beneath the stone. In the upper section of the gable there is a narrow square headed window with decorative coloured glass. There is a stone wheel cross on the apex of the gable.

The church hall was constructed on the same site as the church in 1964 to replace the original hall which was located several streets away;  it lies to the west of the church building.

Entrance to the church is from a porch on the south west corner, which also gives access to the tower.    There is also disabled access att he north east corner of the building.   The church is rectangular, with traditional pews separated by a central aisle.    The walls are painted light.    The sanctuary at the east end is in an apse narrower than the main body of the church, delineated by an arch with rounded top, wider at the base than at the lowest point of the arch.    The roof is gently pitched, supported on integral painted buttresses.

A simple wooden communion table is in the centre of the apse on a raised and carpeted dais, against wooden panelling in which there is integral seating for the minister and elders.   A simple wooden pulpit is against the corner of the archway with a wooden lectern in front of it.   A free-standing wooden font is to the north of the sanctuary.

A door on the wall beside the apse leads to a vestry.

At the west end of the church curtains separate a further worship area from the main nave.    This is furnished with a separate communion table.

Music is provided by a free-standing small organ at the nrth east corner of the main nave.

Tall round headed windows on the north and south walls admit daylight;    some of these are memorial windows of stained glass, and the others are of clear glass.   High on the north wall at its west end are two smaller round-headed windows one of which is of stained glass.

Another entrance door at the north west of the church leads to offices and a session room.