PROJECT DETAILS

Izi Metzstein / Andy MacMillan / Gillespie, Kidd & Coia: St Bride's Roman Catholic Church, 1957D–1964

  • East Kilbride, Great Britain, Show on map
  • #REL #Brick #Public #Western Europe
  • Inside the church is a rectangular hall with no aisles: it is lit diffusely through the ceiling, and has deep-reveal openings cut into the largely windowless brick sidewalls. Alongside the main church were two sacristies and an ele- gantly tall campanile that rose, slim and detached, to a height of 27.4 meters. Excerpt from Eva Branscome’s article in: SOS Brutalism: A Global Survey. Catalog DAM + Wüstenrot Foundation, Zurich (Park Books) 2017

  • Efforts by the Catholic Church to demolish the building were thankfully resisted, although sadly the 90ft campanile was demolished in 1983. The building has been protected as a listed structure since 1994 under Scottish heritage regulations and is one of only forty-two (as of 2016) postwar buildings in Scotland that have been given the highest Category A listing. Over time, the church began to show signs of wear and damage. This also had an impact on the church's dramatic architectural features like the striking use of light, because leaks caused that many windows were replaced by dark covers, which reduced the designed entry of natural light. A renovation was already being considered around 2011. This was soon put into practice. The masonry and roof were repaired, water damage and leaks repaired and windows replaced. The £2million renovation costs were raised from community donations and grants from various sources, including the National Churches Trust, Viridor Credits, Historic Scotland and Heritage Lottery Funding. In 2016, the church was reopened (last updated on December 5, 2024).