St John's Methodist Church, Arbroath

St John's Methodist Church, on Ponderlaw Street, Arbroath, Scotland, was founded by John Wesley on 6 May 1772.^[1] The nave is octagonal and the church has been nicknamed Totum Kirkie from 'totum', an eight-sided spinning top, and 'kirk', the Scottish word for church. It is a listed building and the second-oldest^[2] Methodist church in Scotland.

St John's Methodist Church
St John's Methodist Church Location of St John's Methodist Church in Angus
56°33′36.8″N 2°34′43″W
OS grid reference	NO645410
Location	Arbroath
Country	Scotland
Denomination	Methodist
History
Founded	6 May 1772
Founder(s)	John Wesley
Architecture
Heritage designation	Category B
Designated	11 October 1971

Architecture

St John's is an octagonal church — a style that was preferred by John Wesley.^[3][4] The interior of the church has not been altered; however, the church was extended in 1882 when a porch and gallery were added. A church hall was built in 1896.^[5] The Lifeboat Window is a memorial to the loss of the RNLI lifeboat Robert Lindsay (ON 874) and six crew members in 1953.

The building became a Category B listed building on 11 October 1971.^[2]

Manse

The Church's former manse, now Wesley House, located next door, is also a listed building.^[6] It was built as a single-storey building in 1772; an upper storey was added in 1869.^[3]

George Scott Railton (1849 – 1913), the first Commissioner of The Salvation Army and second in command to its founder William Booth,^[7][8] was born in the manse. He was the son of Methodist missionaries, Lancelot Railton and his wife, Margaret Scott.^[9] A blue plaque marks his birthplace.

Archives

Archives relating to the church are held by Archive Services University of Dundee as part of the Arbroath and Montrose Methodist Circuit Collection.^[10][11]

See also

• St Andrew's Parish Church, Arbroath (Church of Scotland)
• Church of St Mary the Virgin, Arbroath (Episcopal)