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Thornbush Road


fiona

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Hi Guys, so I was having a look for some old images and stories on Thornbush Road in particular the old church hall now known as Blackbridge Furnishings. I currently work here and we are always asked about the history and stories regarding the hall, we have some info not a huge amount and I was hoping that maybe that some of you have stories or images of the shop throughout the years, I was hoping to get a nice display together with a little info for customers entering the shop, everything kindly received and appreciated.

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Fiona - most of the piccies on here are from Facebook sites - especially Inverness Then And Now and Inverness when I was a kid - the large majority of photos are not copyrighted. Suggest that you become a member (simples online) and ask your question there.

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29 minutes ago, fiona said:

Hi Guys, so I was having a look for some old images and stories on Thornbush Road in particular the old church hall now known as Blackbridge Furnishings.

Was that the church hall which was home to the fairly short lived 11th Company of the Boys' Brigade? Was the church in question an extension of the Merkinch Church (6th Company) and [possibly called St Mark's?

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Hi yes it was, it was an extension of st marks, and there was to be a church built here also but due to second world war this never happened so it remained the hall. I have had  customers in that mentioned that they were at boys brigade here.

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Now this is by a guy called Dave Connor who is on BOTH the facebook sites - looks like the kinda feedback you are looking for:

St Marks Church a.k.a Trinity Church a.k.a West Free Church (Huntly Place) - The furthest down stream of the many Ness-side Churches, it is one of few to have no spire (and no bell either nowadays!). Built to a more austere, but no less aesthetic, style than most of the churches along the river, it was always a busy place. Built in 1863, the building appears on the 1867 OS map as "West Free Church", and it was then OUTSIDE the Burgh of inverness. The Municipal boundary was the centre of Upper Kessock Street, and the Church was actually then designated on U/K Street, with Huntly Place not starting till the row of houses beyond the (now gone) cottage attached to the Church.

 In 1867 it was shown as able to seat 475, and the hall on the back did not come until later. The building later became the Parish Church for Merkinch, before merging with Queen Street Church in 1971. Although it was thought by many that St Marks might close in favour of the larger Queen Street Church, it was decided to dispose of Queen Street and centre the congregation on St Marks, renaming the building Trinity Church (much easier to say, and remember, than "St Marks, Quuen Street and Merkinch"). The third part of the "Trinity" was the famous and well-loved "Hall Church" in Thornbush Road, built in 1939, latterly part of St Marks' Parish (with the resulting title of Merkinch St Marks) - which could be converted from a religious service venue to a Youth Fellowship Disco or a theatre or lecture room or Burns Supper Dining Room or Games Hall in a matter of an hour - and then back again as quickly (allowing for sufficient helping hands)!

As part of the work undertaken to moderise and extend "St Marks" post-merger, the hall to the rear was enlarged and extended, and the adjacent house removed to form a car park, and the Hall Church was also sold off for business use. The inspirational minister (first of Merkich St Marks, and from 1971 of the join congregation) for more than 37 years was Rev. Norman I. MacRae (who retired in 2003). The writer for one "found" St Marks as a teenager - initally the Boys Brigade 6th Company ("the Super Sixth") - while living nearby in mid-late 1960s, and a house-move soon after to New Hilton did not deter him, or the other "displaced" Merkinchers/Carsers, from the part-bus/part-walk trek 3 or 4 times a week (BBs on Fridays, Badminton Saturdays, BB Bible Class/Church Sunday morning; Church/Youth Fellowship Sunday evening). Mind you, there were compensations - such as the large choice of venues to purchase chips in newspaper on the way from/to Town Centre bus stop; picking up the Football Times on Saturday evening from shop on Huntly Street to find out all the football results and read the reports of all the Highland League games. (Downside - Sunday evenings had no bus to HIlton though, but thankfully a lift was usually available).

 

 

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thanks guys this is the kind of thing im after and any old stories to tell with the area are all appreciated, its nice to work in such an old building with so much history

 

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The thornbush inn was opposite the hall, from what I can gather there was a brewery down this way at some point also on the opposite side of the road. hunting to see if I can get images of the hall. 

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On ‎02‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 1:53 PM, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Now this is by a guy called Dave Connor who is on BOTH the facebook sites - looks like the kinda feedback you are looking for:

 

 

 it was decided to dispose of Queen Street and centre the congregation on St Marks, renaming the building Trinity Church (much easier to say, and remember, than "St Marks, Quuen Street and Merkinch"). 

"St Marks" post-merger,

 

 

Dave, an ex-policeman, was at school with me and is an expert on local history.

Before the churches joined, I wonder if they used to have "Rebel Meetings" in the Queen Street Hall?:lol:

 

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I mind my granny had a pamphlet on the centenary of the Trinity Church, and the part that struck me was an extract from some report or other bemoaning the moral condition of the residents of that area and the fact that Gaelic was still widely spoken there. Stands to reason but amazing too ah suppose, bilingual Sneck!!

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16 hours ago, dougiedanger said:

I mind my granny had a pamphlet on the centenary of the Trinity Church, and the part that struck me was an extract from some report or other bemoaning the moral condition of the residents of that area and the fact that Gaelic was still widely spoken there. Stands to reason but amazing too ah suppose, bilingual Sneck!!

Apparently down the Merkinch they spoke a different Gaelic from the rest of Inverness.... which maybe explains why they now speak a different brand of English!

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