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The new church replaced the original 1532 building, which
stood at right angles to the present one, across the front of Marischal
College. For a long time, students at Marischal attended the church on
Sunday, sitting in a special “College Gallery”. This can be seen in the
painting prominently displayed in the ante-room to our church. You will see
that the pulpit in the old kirk was in its traditional 17th century
position, halfway down the long wall. Also the great window just had plain
glass and was partly hidden by another gallery.
The story of the construction of the new church is an interesting one. In
1886 the session called a new minister, Rev. Gordon I. Murray, who had not
long graduated B.D. (1882) from Aberdeen University. He was a driving force
in proposals to revamp the ancient church building. However, the university
had other ideas; it wanted to pull down the old church to make way for a big
expansion, with a new frontage on Broad St., replacing old shops and
buildings.
An enabling Act was passed by Parliament in 1893. However, the Town Council
(as it was then known) and the University had different views on the
location for the rebuilt church. There was also a vociferous campaign to
retain the old building, largely on historic grounds. The dispute even
reached the Court of Session. Finally, the Town Council very generously
bought and paid for the present site. This released the logjam in time for
the university to build its new frontage and have a delayed celebration of
its Quatercentenary, with the King, in person, opening their new buildings.
This was a few years after Greyfriars reopened. However, in June 1902, the
parties concerned (Town Council, University and Presbytery) celebrated their
agreement by laying the Corner Stone which can be seen in the corner of our
vestibule. This tells of the relationship to the original Franciscan Friary
(1469), which vanished at
Reformation (1560) when the friars handed over their building to the Town
Council. It also tells how the masonry of the South Window of the old kirk
was taken down and made into the frame of the new East Window. This
wonderfully preserved a memory of the old building.
ln fact, it greatly improved on the old window, because new stained glass
was commissioned from the famous artist Earner Kempe, whose work can also be
seen in English cathedrals and in Govan Old parish church. He was
commissioned on the advice of Sir George Reid, then President of the Royal
Scottish Academy, whose father had been an elder of the church. The design
of the stained glass in the East Window was agreed with Rev. Gordon Murray,
who afterwards proudly lectured on it. It showed the connection with Town
and University, through their crests at the top of the window, and with the
Franciscans and Bishop Gavin Dunbar (builder of the 1532 church). It also
showed the crucifixion of Christ, Our Saviour, dominating the communion
table. The other great influence on the new church building was A. Marshall
Mackenzie, the architect of the new frontage of Marischal College. He very
cleverly designed a granite tower and spire for the new church in keeping
with the new frontage. He was clearly influenced by the Gothic Revival
movement that had dominated late Victorian church architecture. However, he
also gave the church a very light airy interior, with sandstone columns, for
which we should all be grateful.
The church building was largely paid for by the Town Council, as it says in
the inscription in the East Window. Here the Session thanks “the Town
Council, as heritors of the Parish, in erecting this church, and the
unwearied efforts of their minister, the Rev. Gordon J. Murray...”.
The minister was later known as Dr Murray, on account of the honorary D.D.
he received from his university in 1910. He had seen enormous changes in 25
years. In February 1902 they began to take down the South Window of the old
church, but only 18 months later the new church was complete. Those old
Edwardian craftsmen and masons could teach the current builders of Holyrood
a thing or two! Meanwhile, Dr. Murray had not been idle. In the course of 25
years he had conducted 1685 baptisms and welcomed into the faith 1263 young
communicants (roughly one a week). The membership had grown from 800 to
1250. He was to continue as minister for a further 25 years. His picture
hangs at the back of the side aisle, together with pictures of the old kirk,
and of old and new kirk sessions.
Prof. Peter M.D. Gray
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