Looking back with Ian Scott on the history of Bainsford Church as it held its last service
Bitter sweet! A familiar feeling across the country as churches that have served for a century or more face closure as part of the Church of Scotland’s long overdue solution to a major problem.
Falling rolls and ageing membership have left many buildings built in Victorian days much more than half empty on Sunday mornings and today’s closures are the inevitable result. On Sunday last I experienced the sense of loss as the congregation of Bainsford Parish Church gathered for the last time in the building which had served the community for close on 150 years. The church that had opened with joy and optimism in 1880 closed in quiet acceptance and reflection on happier days and of hopes for continued service as part of Grahamston United.
The Bainsford story began in the aftermath of the great Disruption of 1843 when hundreds of congregations broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland. Soon there was a new building in Falkirk’s Garrison Place and many folk from the village began to attend services there. By 1860 a large group were meeting in a house in Granary Square and as the number increased they moved to a barn at Inglis Land on the west side of the Main Street. There a Free Church missionary called Aeneas Rate led the worship. Bainsford was growing in size with the expansion of the iron foundries and Rev Rate led the campaign to secure a building of their own. The result was the Gothic style church in Henry Street which opened in 1880 to the design of Falkirk architect William Black. It cost £2000 with seating for 450 worshipers and room for galleries as the congregation expanded which it did.
I have not enough room to mention the Ministers who followed Rev Alexander Paterson the first incumbent but one whose story caught my eye was Rev Harry Ross known as ‘Happy Harry’ who served during World War I. He was so keen to encourage young men to enlist that he was known as “the best recruiter in Falkirk”. His other campaign found less support. He wanted to close the pubs and stop all football for the duration of the war. It didn’t happen!
In 1900 Bainsford like almost all Free Churches had joined with the United Presbyterians to form the United Free Church and 29 years later all but a few returned to the Church of Scotland.
For all 144 years the village was served from Henry Street with the congregation making it their special mission to support youth organisations like the Boys and Girls Brigades and to help the elderly and those in need.
At Sunday’s last communion service these qualities were remembered and there was a feeling of satisfaction that each preceding generation had always done what they could to serve the whole community. Both Rev Andrew Sarle and the Rev Derek Gunn, former Minister of the congregation and present Moderator of the Presbytery, stressed that the sadness of ending worship would give way to a new beginning and the move to Grahamston United would allow them all to find new ways to serve alongside their fellow Christians.
For two decades or more I have been warmly welcomed to the Bainsford Guild to give talks about Falkirk’s history and I wish my many friends in the congregation Godspeed in this New Year and the best of good fortune on this latest stage in their journey of service.