St Ninian's
Scottish Episcopal Church
With the arrival of English and Irish artisans in the Gorbals, a Sunday School was started in Bedford Street by Dr Gordon of St Andrew-by-the-Green and RA Ogg, a draper who then lived nearby.
This led to a chapel being established off Eglinton Street and in 1870 the Revd MB Hutchison was put in charge of it.
The present church was begun in 1872 on land to the south of the Gorbals, given by Sir John Maxwell. Few of the worshippers were expected to contribute to the cost because of their low social status.
Dr Hutchison was rector until 1920 in a time of national church growth, and during his incumbency missions were established at St Michael’s in Govan (1874), St Martin’s Polmadie (1877) and St Margaret’s Newlands (1898) as daughter churches of St Ninian’s.
After Dean Hutchison’s incumbency of 50 years there were two short incumbencies in the 1920s and the Reverend WNG Boxer from 1929-1944 introduced some Catholic devotional and spiritual practices not wholly acceptable to a section of the congregation.
Canon Joseph Bullough who succeeded him served an incumbency of almost twenty years and replaced the 9 am Eucharist and 11 am Mattins with a 10.15 am Parish Eucharist which continues to be the principal Sunday act of worship.
The Reverend John M Taylor (later Bishop of the Diocese) was Rector from 1964–1973.
He was succeeded by the Reverend DWJ Reid (Dean of the Diocese 1987-1996) who retired in 1999.
The present incumbent, The Very Reverend Dr Gregor Duncan (current Dean of the Diocese) was instituted as Rector in October 1999.
