Let's not be too concerned for the congregation at St Giles' in Edinburgh, faced with hefty building repair bills. If it were any other congregation of the Church of Scotland, it would be a case of a quickie union with another congregation in another building. ''Your building's too big, your congregation is too small,'' they would say, and launch into lectures about the sensible use of scarce resources, and how buildings aren't important anyhow.
In this situation, let's think instead of the long list of fine buildings of architectural and cultural significance which have been flogged by the Church of Scotland to unscrupulous agencies on the quiet, only to meet with terrible fates.
Think of the loss to our own city over the years, particularly in this Year of Architecture, a toll still being added to every year. Townhead Blochairn Church and Candlish Polmadie bulldozed recently; Strathbungo Church and Polmadie St. Margaret's lying derelict waiting for the inevitable; Shawlands Old and Crosshill Queen's Park very much at risk, and many others which will follow in the next few years. Some will end up as blocks of luxury flats, no doubt, but others, and particularly the finer ones, given their listed status, being of no use to future owners as they stand, are as good as so much firewood.
Gavin Stamp champions one or two buildings, and rails against Glasgow City Council, but follow the trail back and find the real culprit, which has been carrying out legitimised vandalism on our cityscapes for decades.
In a nutshell, picture St Giles' as a conversion project or derelict, then think again about other fine buildings, not so famous and on not such famous streets.
Hugh Reid,
128 Glencroft Road, Glasgow.
March 23.
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