Queen's Cross Church

In 1896, the Free Church of St Matthew, Glasgow, commissioned a new church and hall from the experienced Glasgow architectural practice of Honeyman and Keppie, to be located within the developing area of Springbank, near Maryhill. John Honeyman allocated the job to his young, talented, trainee architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The site was an awkward one, being on a corner plot and butted by tenements and a large warehouse. In keeping with their beliefs, the Free Church required simplicity in design. A memorial stone was laid on 23 June 1898 and the church held its first service on 10 September 1899. Although he designed an Anglican Cathedral for Liverpool, as part of a competition, it…

Although the stained glass windows are not 'spectacular' compared to other churches and cathedrals, they are distinctly Mackintosh in design. The style is still used on many Mackintosh-style windows and stained glass souvenirs available today. The roof is made up by a striking timber-lined barrel-vaulted roof, which spans the entire forty feet of the nave. The pulpit is carved in Mackintosh designs, which repeat five times around the curved front. It has been suggested that it represents the wings of a bird protecting young shoots - sown on fertile ground. The design contains gothic influences, such as the magnificent stained glass blue-heart window, and pre-Reformation style elements, such…