East St. Clement's Church

East Saint Clement's Church (also known as St Clement's Free Church or Footdee Church) is a historic church located in St Clement Street, Aberdeen, AB11 5FU, near the Footdee area.

Key Facts & History

Location: St Clement Street, Footdee, Aberdeen, AB11 5FU.

Design & Architecture: Built in 1828 and designed by local architect John Smith. The church is a 3-bay, symmetrical building in a Gothic style.

Material: It is constructed from coursed and snecked granite rubble with grey slate roofing.

Features: The church features a 4-stage entrance clock tower and belfry, which is pinnacled, crocketted, and balustraded.

History: The church was originally designed to be in the center of a new residential square that was never fully built; the surrounding area was subsequently taken over by industry. It was later furnished with an organ in 1874.

Current Status: As of 2006, the building was disused.

Churchyard: The associated churchyard contains 19th-century gravestones, including many with nautical inscriptions, as well as several Commonwealth war graves.

St Clement’s Church (often referred to as East St Clement’s) is a former parish church located on St Clement Street in the Footdee (Fittie) area of Aberdeen, postcoded AB11 5FU. While it does not have a dedicated individual Wikipedia article, it is listed on Wikipedia's list of Category B listed buildings and has a detailed presence on Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata.

Key Features and History

Architecture: Built in 1828, the church was designed by the prominent Aberdeen architect John Smith in a Gothic style. It features a symmetrical three-bay front and a central four-stage clock tower with a belfry.

Historical Significance: The current building stands on the site of an older chapel dating back to at least 1498, which was historically used by the local fishing community of Footdee.

Current Status: The church building is currently disused and in private hands, while the surrounding churchyard remains under the care of the Aberdeen City Council.

Churchyard: The graveyard contains approximately six Commonwealth war graves from WWI and WWII, along with 19th-century headstones featuring nautical inscriptions reflecting the area's maritime heritage

Local Designation

The site is recognized by Historic Environment Scotland as a Category B listed building, cited for its architectural importance and its intended role as the centrepiece of a planned neighbourhood that was ultimately overtaken by industrial growth.

It is believed a church may have stood on this site since the 11th century. Many of its memorial stones reflect lives lost to the sea, Some gravestone have nautical inscriptions and decorative features such as ropes and ships. The kirkyard ‘closed’ for burials in 1927