Built between 1739 and 1759, St Andrew's Church has been described as "the finest church of its generation." The design is similar to that of St Martins-in-the-Fields in London, although the steeple is somewhat slimmer. The huge Corinthian portico created so much alarm when its supports were removed that the mason in charge slept the first night beneath it, to demonstrate his faith in it.
The church was used by the tobacco merchants of Glasgow who spared no expense to bring wood from the Caribbean to create an interior as magnificent as that outside. The church was the official place of worship for the City Council and has the city's coat of arms sculpted on the tympanum of the pediment (although, oddly, the fish and the bell are missing).
St Andrew's Halls
