Following the closure of the “Village Kirk” St Ninians Church, known as the New Kirk, first opened its doors on 18 December 1897. The church was designed by Alexander Cullen Architect. The following is an extract from the builder.
1896 Memorial stone laid for new church in Vicars Road by Major-General Lockhart
1897 Parish Church officially opened and Rev. J Wyper Wilson transfered from the village kirk where he had served for 10 years.
1922 Installation of pipe organ, donated by the congregation in memory of those who gave their lives in the Great War. It was unveiled on 17 December 1922 with a performance from Herbert Walton, famed in the day as the organist at Glasgow Cathedral.
St Ninians church pipe Organ
1926 Rev. Thomas McCaughan
Resigned in 1935 due to ill health
1929 Union of the Churches. The kirk session agreed in recognition of the event to rename the Parish Church as St.Ninian’s Parish Church of Scotland, Stonehouse. Church bell was removed from Old Parish Church in New Street.
1934 Installation of electric lights completed
1935 Rev. Hugh R. Munro
Received call from Bo’ness as an assistant to Rev. McCaughan before becoming his successor. He received a call from another church in 1943.
1944 Rev. George K. Wood
Received call from New Galloway. Accepted call from another church in 1946 to facilitate the union of St.Ninian’s and Hamilton Memorial Church.
1946 Union of Hamilton Memorial Church and St. Ninian’s Parish Church. United charge renamed Stonehouse Church of Scotland. United Guild of Stonehouse Church of Scotland formed.
1947 Rev. Robert C. Pollock
Served as Army Chaplain during war. Accepted call to St.Andrew’s, Falkirk in 1951
In 1950 Rev. Pollock compilled a statistical account of the village and this is outlined in the link below.
Statistical Account by Rev Robert Pollock 1950
1951 Rev. W.A.J. Gardiner
Served as Interim Moderator until new minister appointed
1952 Rev. William R.F. McGhie (d. 1968)
Served as Army Chaplain during war. Accepted call for missionary work in Jamacia in 1957. Undertook research project of tracing the history of the church in Stonehouse from 1560 to 1956.
A biography of the Rev McGhie is detailed below.
1954 Boys’ Brigade re-established after lapse of nearly half a century
1955 New hall opened incorporating stained glass windows from Hamilton Memorial Church
1956 Rev. W.A.J. Gardiner
Served as Interim Moderator until new minister appointed
1956 Parish Church Woman’s Guild formed
1957 Rev. Alexander Gemmell (d.1984)
Appointed Clerk to the Presbytery of Hamilton in 1980
1958 ‘Mens’ Club’ formed, meeting in Adult Education Centre in Green Street
1959 Young Woman’s Fellowship formed
1960 400th anniversary of Reformation
1961 Opening ceremony of new church gates
1962 AGM of congregation agreed renaming of church as St.Ninian’s Parish Church
1970 New small hall opened, dedicated to Rev. Alexander Gemmell. The armorial bearings of Hamilton of Raploch, who resided at Patrickholm incorporated into the vestibule, gifted by Mrs Euphemia Hamilton of Crofthead farm. (formerly embedded above the entrance door to Patrickholm House)
1971 Twelve hundredth anniversary of dedication of the Parish to St. Ninian
1981 Rev. C. Raymond Vincent
Retired in 1992 to New Galloway
1992 Rev. Tom Nelson
1996 Centenary Year in which three services were screened by Scottish Television
2002 Rev. Tom Nelson receives call to Netherlee Church, Glasgow
2003 Rev. Paul George Reid Grant
