“A Notable Ornament” was how The Glasgow Herald described Lansdowne United Presbyterian Church when it opened its doors in December 1863. Not everyone in the northwest of Victorian Glasgow, however, was so impressed. In one of the most famous pieces of doggerel in Glasgow’s literary history, on that opening Sabbath a local wag noted his views in chalk on the door of the new church, reflecting on its eminent minister and the members of his flock flitting from their previous home in Cowcaddens:

This church is not for the poor or needy,
But for the rich and Dr Eadie;
The rich walk in and take their seat,
The poor go down to Cambridge Street.

This book chronicles the story of Lansdowne Church, generally regarded as the finest Victorian Gothic church in Glasgow. It charts the church’s controversial establishment by a breakaway congregation, its place in the early career of famed architect John Honeyman and also examines the significance of the prominent site – then, and still – a gateway to Glasgow’s salubrious West End. The contribution of sculptors James Shanks and the Mossman brothers is also discussed, and the extraordinary stained glass by the tragic genius Alf Webster is celebrated in depth for the first time – nearly a century after his magnificent transept windows were installed.