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developers and planners had forgotten what the building had originally been and kept referring to the "North Kirk" as being part of the site. As of 2018, following a fall in demand for offices, an accommodation development for 347 students was underway but before the end of the year the council approved a change that removed the requirement for the accommodation to be restricted to students because the change would "act as a catalyst for further regeneration in the city centre”.
128:, always accepted the congregations' views on ministerial appointments. The nine other churches with only religious status had always made their own appointments anyway. Although in Aberdeen there was no practical problem over appointments, all fifteen minsters "came out" in solidarity with parishes elsewhere and ten new free kirks were built. By 1851 there were only seven "established" churches left although there were still all fifteen free churches.
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to a new grand building in
Rosemount Viaduct and the East church bought the now vacated transept to be converted into ancillary church accommodation. In 1935 the High Free moved away and by 1966 the west part of the building was unoccupied. In 1972 the East church congregation united with the church on Rosemount Viaduct under the new name of St. Mark's leaving the Triple Kirks building redundant for religious purposes.
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it passed very close to, but far below, the gable end of the West Free. Fearing collapse, the congregation left their part of the building for a church elsewhere in the city and eventually the railway company agreed to purchase the entire building for £12,000. The East and South churches, happy to stay put, bought back their portions for £3,000 each, hence making a profit of £1,000 each.
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proved persuasive in opposing it. By the 1980s the east part was converted to a bar, Simpson's Bar, and later renamed to the Triple Kirks, with the upper storey a dance school. The southern part became dangerous and was demolished except for three walls which were shored up. Many planning applications followed, including for a seven-storey office block.
116:, generally without consulting the congregation. For churches that only held religious status the congregations had always been able to make their own appointments. In May 1843, about one third of the ministers across Scotland "came out" to form the Free Church, that is to say they stopped attending their previous churches so forfeiting their
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but all the same the building fell into dilapidation. In 1976 the site was purchased by a London firm of developers with a plan to retain the spire but to surround it with a shopping mall, restaurant, offices and apartments. The council thought this was a fine proposal but the
Aberdeen Civic Society
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The West church now built a new building for themselves but their congregation soon split and one group bought back the West church for £3,800, partly subsidised by £2,000 from the other two churches. This part of the Triple Kirks was then called the High Free Church. In 1890 the South church moved
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was constructed along the valley connecting the existing railways to the north and south so as to provide through running. The tracks were laid on the east side of the valley to avoid the gardens and the culverted Den Burn to the west. This meant that the
Denburn Road had to be shifted east so that
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and they conducted services as and where they could with individual members of their congregations deciding how they would respond. Many congregations were loyal to their ministers and the existing church buildings were abandoned with new churches being built at the congregations' own expense.
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intervened requiring the spire to be kept so a plan emerged for a six-storey office block and underground car park, complete with spire. There followed a plan involving a floodlit five-storey-high atrium incorporating the spire, and then for an architectural heritage centre. By this time the
148:
In
Aberdeen the Disruption had been anticipated and a local committee had taken the initiative of, in April 1843, purchasing an old weaving factory which had been derelict since 1830. As the purchasing agent left the estate agent's offices he met someone arriving from the established church
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The building costs, £6,000, were kept as low as possible with the walls built of granite rubble, some of it from the demolished factory, and the spire built of salvaged brick. All the same it proved to be a magnificent building. The anti-Disruption
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windows with brick dressings. There was squared granite rubble at the level of the ground floor but above there was coarser random granite rubble. There were soft sandstone dressings to the red brick tower and octagonal spire. Effectively, the
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161:. A high proportion of the parishioners were expected to be coming out and there was to be capacity for all of them. The three churches had entirely separate facilities but there was one shared spire with a design based on that of
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233:. The fact that it is in red brick makes it stand out, but not glaringly, among the grey granite of the rest of the city. How can I explain why this tall plain spire is so marvellous that only
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669:"151239 Development of 342 units of student accommodation and ancillary facilities at Triple Kirks, 69-71 Schoolhill, Aberdeen Triplekirks Schoolhill/Belmont Street Aberdeen AB12 4RR"
349:
As measured from a scale drawing the footing to bring level with the ground to the east: 39 feet (11.8 m); tower: 80 feet (24.3 m); steeple atop tower 75 feet (23.0 m)
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The site of the churches was to the east of the
Denburn Valley, a 34-foot (10.5 m) deep gorge passing north–south through Aberdeen with buildings on both sides of it. In 1864
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has the aspect of a cathedral ... In the angle formed by the nave and south transept rises a lofty square tower, from which springs a spire of airy proportions".
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The spire rose to a height of about 190 feet (59 m) above the footing in the
Denburn Valley. The architectural style of the building was for simple
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153:, was appointed. To save cost he arranged for one building to encompass the three separate congregations – from the East and West parishes of the
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108:– its patron or proprietor – or whether the congregation should decide. For churches with full parish status the heritor – the local landowner (
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early the following year. From about 1966 the building progressively fell into disuse and became mostly ruinous but with the spire remaining.
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In 1864 the main area of the
Denburn Valley was rather run down although plans were being made for what would eventually become
56:(the Kirk). The three churches were all part of a single building with a tall spire but they housed separate congregations. The
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attempting to block the sale by making their own purchase. The factory was demolished and a famous
Aberdeen architect,
813:"Schoolhill and Belmont Street, former Triple Kirks churches, including steeple and former east free church (LB19940)"
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In
Aberdeen the town council was heritor of the six churches with full parish status but the council had, since the
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was the West Kirk. The tower and spire were in the southwest corner between the south and west churches.
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157:(which had been separately occupying its chancel and nave) and from the newly built South Church in
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The South church had been built in 1830 and is now the "Slains Castle" pub and restaurant.
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The North Kirk is a completely separate church in
Aberdeen, half a mile to the east, now
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1017:"Triple Kirks development will no longer be just for students after council decision"
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222:
912:
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647:"Proposed Student Residence, Proposed W Elevation [10004_P(25)001_Rev E]"
613:"Aberdeen, 69-71 Schoolhill, East, South And West United Free Churches, General"
181:
125:
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944:"City council considering two-year ban on city centre developer contributions"
859:"Affordable housing waiver for city centre development to continue until 2022"
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Very late in its religious life, in 1967, the Triple Kirks were listed as a
715:"Triplekirks (incl.Spire), Former North & East Kirk, 67-71 Schoolhill"
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The Denburn valley in 1850. The Triple Kirks is at the centre, beyond the
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Aberdeen's Union Terrace Gardens: War and Peace in the Denburn Valley
656:. Halliday Fraser Munro / Dandara Limited, Aberdeen. 8 December 2015
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Spire in 2023, emerging from the completed "The Point" development.
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Hillis, Peter (2000). Fraser, W. Hamish; Lee, Clive H. (eds.).
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Patronage was ended in 1874 and the churches reunited in 1929.
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For over a century there had been a dispute within Scotland's
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Churches only holding a religious status are referred to as
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229:"His greatest work is a brick tower and spire opposite the
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Many developments were planned for the site but, after the
1129:"The Proposed Triple Kirks Development - Aberdeen Voice"
112:) or sometimes the town council – had this privilege by
75:
required the spire to be kept, a block of flats called "
487:
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410:"History: Secession, Disruption and Eventual Re-union"
79:" was built with the spire protruding from the top.
271:In 2019 with the development surrounding the spire
173:wrote "A group of three churches when viewed from
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913:"The Triple Kirks, 69-71, Schoolhill, Aberdeen"
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572:
505:"Aberdeen, Belmont Street, South Parish Church"
227:
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1149:"Triple Kirks: Aberdeen Church - e-architect"
8:
1045:Aberdeen, an illustrated architectural guide
165:. All building was completed by early 1844.
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777:. Aberdeen St Mark’s Church of Scotland.
771:"Introduction: St Mark's Church Aberdeen"
16:1843 building designed for three churches
263:Spire in 2016, viewed from the southwest
1368:Category A listed buildings in Aberdeen
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871:from the original on 23 December 2021.
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225:wrote of Archibald Simpson's creation:
1108:"The 'Triple Kirk Ruins' of Aberdeen"
923:from the original on 24 December 2016
883:"Aberdeen, King Street, North Church"
312:Full parish status is referred to as
83:1843 schism in the Church of Scotland
7:
679:from the original on 22 October 2023
1127:Shepherd, Mike (10 December 2010).
996:from the original on 4 October 2021
893:from the original on 28 August 2018
781:from the original on 28 August 2018
727:from the original on 28 August 2018
713:Bochel, Margaret (18 August 2011).
627:from the original on 28 August 2018
590:from the original on 28 August 2018
545:from the original on 28 August 2018
515:from the original on 28 August 2018
60:was completed 1843 followed by the
1147:Welch, Adrian (27 December 2015).
1029:from the original on 17 July 2023.
1015:Beattie, Kieran (8 January 2019).
802:, p. 146, quoting Betjeman (1952).
14:
1064:Aberdeen 1800–2000: A New History
956:from the original on 18 June 2018
919:. Historic Environment Scotland.
889:. Historic Environment Scotland.
823:from the original on 5 April 2017
511:. Historic Environment Scotland.
424:from the original on 19 July 2018
1346:
857:Gossip, Alastair (3 July 2020).
673:publicaccess.aberdeencity.gov.uk
255:Later use and partial demolition
132:Construction of the Triple Kirks
1159:from the original on 5 May 2016
817:portal.historicenvironment.scot
654:Aberdeen City Council, Planning
293:Secretary of State for Scotland
163:St. Elizabeth's Church, Marburg
73:Secretary of State for Scotland
52:(the Free Kirk) split from the
1085:. Black and White Publishing.
942:Hebditch, Jon (13 June 2018).
371:Now The Triplekirks nightclub.
193:comprised the South Kirk, the
44:were built at the time of the
1:
621:Historic Environment Scotland
1245:and historical buildings in
237:is in my opinion its rival?"
1378:Listed churches in Scotland
1373:Former churches in Scotland
414:www.churchofscotland.org.uk
104:should be appointed by its
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1022:Aberdeen Press and Journal
917:Buildings at Risk Register
864:Aberdeen Press and Journal
775:www.stmarksaberdeen.org.uk
675:. Aberdeen City Planning.
277:Category A listed building
197:was the East Kirk and the
86:
1344:
1288:Gordon Highlanders Museum
1253:
720:. Aberdeen City Council.
1263:Aberdeen Maritime Museum
1268:Aberdeen Science Centre
50:Free Church of Scotland
1081:Morgan, Diane (2015).
1043:Brogden, W.A. (1986).
983:New Steel Construction
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1328:St Machar's Cathedral
1323:Provost Skene's House
1293:His Majesty's Theatre
360:Union Terrace Gardens
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1383:Churches in Aberdeen
1318:Provost Ross's House
1258:Aberdeen Art Gallery
1190:57.14750°N 2.10278°W
382:Aberdeen Arts Centre
247:First and Last Loves
186:Perpendicular Gothic
144:chapel on the right.
1186: /
1155:. World Architect.
847:, pp. 145–155.
760:, pp. 143–144.
703:, pp. 139–143.
479:, pp. 132–135.
448:, pp. 131–132.
155:Kirk of St Nicholas
1195:57.14750; -2.10278
1112:Echoes of the Past
989:(1): 12–13. 2019.
418:Church of Scotland
289:
273:
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114:right of patronage
100:about whether the
89:Disruption of 1843
54:Church of Scotland
46:Disruption of 1843
30:
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1298:James Dun's House
1092:978 1 84502 494 9
1047:. Rutland Press.
976:"Inspired design"
949:Press and Journal
748:, pp. 39–54.
586:. 22 April 2018.
566:, pp. 32–33.
151:Archibald Simpson
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541:. 17 June 2016.
535:"Belmont Street"
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25:Triple Kirks by
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1114:. 18 April 2013
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580:"Triple Kirks"
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564:Brogden (1986)
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492:Brogden (1986)
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460:, p. 353.
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62:West Free Kirk
58:East Free Kirk
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1283:Glover House
1273:ACT Aberdeen
1171:
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