Buildings of Glasgow: Plans moved forward to demolish B-listed former West End church building

The Hillhead Baptist Church building has been a landmark in the city for over 125 years having been built in 1883 and designed by Thomas Lennox Watson - the sixth of a dozen churches designed by him during the period. He also designed the Evening Citizen building on St Vincent Place. Hillhead Baptist Church was granted B-listed status in 1970. Historic Environment Scotland publishing a report 30 years later about the poor condition of the building. The congregation vacated the building 20 years ago.

Wemyss Properties is proposing to develop the site into 32 flats and the units will range from one-bed studios to three-bed penthouses

A design statement submitted by Wemyss Properties with an application for listed building consent explains: “The consented scheme is no longer financially viable.

“Alternative ways to save the street frontages have been explored including full costings for hotel, leisure, student and short-term serviced accommodation. None of the alternative uses generate sufficient capital to fund the development.

”A further alternative of retaining only the entrance portico onto Cresswell Street has also been explored, but this was also found to render the development financially unviable.

“The new proposal at Hillhead will provide a contemporary new corner buildings which completes the tenemental block and offers a range of high quality apartments.

“The design both reflects the traditional rhythm of existing tenements and re-purposes the corner bay. The street will be activated at ground floor with main door access into properties, which again seeks to emulate the arrangement of the tenemental block.”