Kelvinside Hillhead Parish church was designed by James Sellars and modelled on Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The building was completed in 1876. Sellars had studied architecture in Italy and France and used the Parisian Gothic masterpiece, Sainte Chapelle, as his model. Sainte Chapelle had been built on Ile de la Cite in Paris by Louis IV to house his relics of Christ including the Crown of Thorns.
The East Side has the array of Stained Glass Windows:
- Te Deum Laudamus (God we praise you) (by Sadie McLellan of Glasgow, 1958)
- Jesus with the Rabbis in the Temple (by Cottier, 1903).
- Jesus talks to women of Samaria at Jacob’s Well (Cottier, 1903).
- Jesus blessing the little children (by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and built by Morris 1893).
- Christ protesting the truth to Pontius Pilate (by Shrigley & Hunt 1893).
- Jesus refusing the request of James & John to call down the fires of heaven on a Samarian village (by Cottier, 1893
- Jesus at grave of Lazarus with Martha & Mary (by Cottier, 1893).
- Jesus turning water into wine at marriage in Cana (Cottier, 1893).
- Triumph of Right & Justice over powers of Evil (by Meikle, 1917).
In the Te Deum Laudamus window by Sadie McLellan (1914-2007), she used a Dalle de verre technique – a French technique developed in the 1930s using thicker glass and concrete or epoxy resin. She also has a window in Glasgow Cathedral.
The West facing front facade of the church features a Rose window flanked by sculptures of angels and has a striking resemblance to Sainte Chapelle with twin octagonal towers and a third spire on the roof. Note the two carved angels on either side of the Rose Window:
History of the Church and stained glass windows : History & Architecture – Kelvinside Hillhead (kelvinside-hillhead.org.uk)
Walking Route Instructions: We now continue up Huntly Gardens and up Observatory Road to our next stop at the top of Observatory Road.
