The Mackintosh Halls, on Shakespeare Street in Ruchill, were purpose-built for the Church of Scotland in 1899 and remain one of the architect’s early and most distinctive works.

More than 120 years on, the Church of Scotland has confirmed that the site will be sold “towards the end of the year”, though no guide price has yet been revealed.

The sale follows the 2022 union of the Ruchill Kelvinside and Maryhill congregations. Reverend Stuart Matthews, minister of the newly formed Maryhill Ruchill Church, said the decision had not been taken lightly.

“We have looked after the Mackintosh Halls for many years, but like the wider Church of Scotland, we face challenges of declining congregations, financial constraints and the lasting impact of the pandemic,” he explained.

“The Halls are a real gem, and we hope a buyer with greater resources will recognise their importance and secure their future.”

The A-listed halls, which include a large meeting space and a janitor’s house, were built around the same time as Mackintosh’s celebrated Glasgow School of Art. A later addition to the site, a church sanctuary designed by Neil Campbell Duff, is category B-listed but not Mackintosh’s work.

Reverend David Gray, property convenor of the Glasgow Presbytery and an architect by training, emphasised the significance of the site.

“This is a rare surviving example of Mackintosh’s early work, reflecting his evolving style in the years leading up to the Glasgow School of Art,” he said.
“The Mackintosh Halls embody many of the ideas that came to define his career and represent an important cultural asset to be preserved.”

Inside, the halls showcase Mackintosh’s trademark Art Nouveau flourishes, including stained glass windows and stylised floral motifs. Stuart Robertson, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, noted their place in the designer’s formative creative period between 1895 and 1906.

“The Ruchill Halls display Mackintosh’s signature style, echoing the work seen in Queen’s Cross Church, the Glasgow School of Art, and his early commissions for Miss Cranston,” he said.

“His legacy is small, vulnerable and irreplaceable. These buildings are part of Scotland’s cultural heritage and deserve to be safeguarded for future generations.”