Until the eighteenth century, the parish of Barony in Glasgow, would congregate in the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral. In 1798-9, a new church was built next to the Cathedral for this congregation, to the designs of James Adam.

John Robertson was the cousin of Robert and James Adam and worked in their office as a draughtsman and clerk before becoming an architect in his own right. Some sources have attributed the designs of the Church to Robertson, however, King argues that it is far more likely that these designs were made by James Adam as one design is signed from their London office on Albemarle Street and there is also a record in a book at the Church from 1812 that discusses the design of ‘Mr Adams’.

In addition, Bolton suggests that a group of drawings in the Soane collection (SM Adam volume 1/146-8) might also be related, however, there does not appear to be any relation between these drawings and Barony Church, and they are therefore not included in this scheme.

The design for the Church was a mixture of the Adam castellated style and gothic. It had a simple rectangular plan but with a rather grandiose front containing two staircases within octagonal towers.

Adam had intended to seat a congregation of 1,500 people, however, the 1857 Ordnance Survey map shows the church capacity as 1,250 people. The style of the church was anecdotally criticised by Queen Victoria’s chaplain, Dr Norman MacLeod as one of the ‘ugliest kirk in all Europe’.

The Church was demolished and replaced by a new church to the east of the original site, to designs by J. A. Campbell in 1886-89.

Literature: A.T. Bolton, The Architecture of Robert and James Adam, Volume II, Index, 1922, p. 14; A. Gomme, D. Walker, The Architecture of Glasgow, 1968, p. 64; D. King, The Complete Works of Robert & James Adam and Unbuilt Adam, Volume 1, 2001, pp. 15, 66, 73-75, 413-4; H.M. Colvin, Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 2008, p. 876

Louisa Catt, 2023