St John's Methodist Church, Arbroath

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St John's Methodist Church
Arbroath St. John's Methodist Church 2.jpg
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St John's Methodist Church
Location of St John's Methodist Church in Angus
56°33′36.8″N2°34′43″W / 56.560222°N 2.57861°W / 56.560222; -2.57861
OS grid reference NO645410
Location Arbroath
CountryScotland
Denomination Methodist
History
Founded6 May 1772
Founder(s) John Wesley
Architecture
Heritage designation Category B
Designated11 October 1971

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.

Contents

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