About us
This Church, the second oldest building in Hamilton and the oldest still used for its original purpose, was opened for worship nearly 300 years ago in 1734.
The congregation comes from all sectors of society and enjoys a traditional style of often lively worship, while also founding and supporting a wide range of community activity such as the Hamilton Churches Drop-In Centre, and the nationally acclaimed DramaKirk. They pride themselves on a warm welcome to all!
We would be delighted if you would join us for worship at the Hamilton Old Parish on Strathmore Road on Sundays at 10.45am. There is a crèche for the youngest children and "Sunday Live!" for those of school age. The service is also Livestreamed on YouTube, if you would like to get a feel for it.
History
In 1450, Lord Hamilton applied for permission to build a Collegiate Church, one which was served by a body of clergy called a "College", some of whom had a teaching function. This was granted and the Collegiate Church of Hamilton was completed in 1462. It stood close to where the Mausoleum stands today as you approach Strathclyde Park. It continued as a place of worship until 1732 when the 5th Duke of Hamilton had it dismantled in order to improve the Palace Park. It was the Duke's responsibility to provide a Church for the town, so the Old Parish Church was designed on classical Italian lines by the famous architect William Adam, father of Robert. It took two years to complete, being first used for public worship towards the end of 1734.
In the Churchyard there are two relics of note. At the front of the Church stands the Netherton Cross. This engraved stone Cross is thought to have once stood in front of a Celtic Church in Hamilton Low Parks. It was removed from the Low Parks in the 1920s for safety. The Netherton Cross is regarded as one of the most valuable of pre-Norman Christian relics in Scotland. On the east wall of the Churchyard is a more modern memorial, although it is over three hundred years old. This is the "Heads Memorial". With its four engraved heads, it commemorates four Covenanters executed at Rullion Green just outside Edinburgh after the Pentland Rising of 1656. The four who were executed had their heads publicly displayed in Hamilton. Another point of interest in the Churchyard is the gate. The iron gates to be seen today are the original mid-18th century ones. Built onto the stone gate post was a small gate-house. The purpose of this was to give protection to the Elders who took Church collections at the gate.
More detailed information is available on our main website.
Church Planting and Unions
Hamilton Old Parish has a long history of forward thinking regarding planting churches but also concentrating its resources when necessary. It is the "mother" church of the town, but in recent years has successfully brought about a series of Unions including Auchingramont Church in 1961 (closed in 1980), North Church in 2013, and West Church in 2025. The West Church building at Peacock Cross continues to be used for mission and community use, with services being held on the second Sunday each month at 3pm.
office@hamiltonold.co.uk
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