St Patrick' Roman Catholic Church

Saturday 1st September.

Dumbarton. How to get there : Strathleven Place opposite Dumbarton Central Library (near the main roundabout) and a short walk from Dumbarton Central Station. Parking is available nearby.

A magnificent aisled 8 bay Gothic style building with a lower chancel and many beautiful and interesting features. Main building by Dunn and Hansom of Newcastle, architects. Built 1900-3. Sanctuary added in 1935. The tower was designed in 1926-27 by architects Pugin & Pugin. The belfry has a large tenor bell and a carillon of 23 bells. There is an interesting practice carillon too - a keyboard which operates the bells. Excellent stained glass. A statue of St Michael by Eric Gill. White marble pieta in memorial chapel.

Mass had been celebrated in the Dumbarton area from the 1800s. By 1830 there were 500 Catholics and seeing the need for a church, St Patrick opened its doors; being the first post-Reformation Catholic church in the area. The foundation stone of the new church was laid in 1901 with the formal opening on the 22 March 1903. The foundation stone of the tower was laid on 27June 1926 by the Archbishop Mackintosh. The new marble side altars, the pulpit the altar rails, the organ, the mortuary chapel, the tower and its carillon of 23 bells had all been completed by the end of 1927 and with the erection of the Pieta on the marble altar in the basement of the tower the two years' work was brought to a successful termination.

More can be found here : http://www.stpatricksdumbarton.org.uk/history.html

A fascinating place.