History
The Allan Church was built in 1838 in the centre of Bannockburn. At this time in history, Bannockburn was a well known and very successful milling town for carpets and most woolen goods.
The first minister of the Allan Church was John Harper, who was ordained in 1839. He was with the church for a short period - only 4 years - until he became minister of the free church.
Regular members of the church will hopefully have noticed the plaque that is hung at the bottom of the church hall on the right hand side, dedicated to Thomas Smith, who was ordained minister of the church in 1860 and remained minister for a good 23 years. Smith was known to have aimed for a church in which both spiritual and temporal affairs took place. In 1867, it was legally named an ecclesiastic church.
At the end of 1929, the church went from being named 'The Bannockburn Parish Church' to the 'Allan Church'. This name was first advertised in January 1930, where the Church of Scotland's Young Men's Guild meet for a rally in the Allan Church.
For many years the church has been used for things other than regular services and religious activities. In the early 1900s the church was used for the Women's Guild, the Young Men's Guild, the Girls' Association, and the choir. It was because of all of these groups that, in 1932, it was decided to extend the accomodation for them. While these renovations were taking place, all church services were held in the New Town Hall, however the change of scenery only lasted for a few months.
As it did for many people, the outbreak of the Second World War changed people's lives completely. The blackouts alone caused a great deal of problems. The rooflights in the hall had to be painted as a means of covering any light, and a curtain was fitted to the door of the main hall to prevent any light from inside being seen from anywhere around.
In 1943, the Allan Church and Ladywell church came to an agreement for six months. For the first three months, all church services would be held in the Allan Church and for the following three they would be moved to Ladywell Church. This was done to remove the names from the seats and made room for a 'more friendly and spiritual union'.
Towards the end of the Second World War, things in Bannockburn began to be more relaxed. Organised church services throughout the blackout were adjusted to fairly quickly and services were carried out as regularly as usual. After the war, things definitely started to improve, when the amount of Elders in the church went from twelve to sixteen in 1946. Furthermore, in 1949, a memorial plaque with the names of those from Bannockburn who lost their lives fighting, or simply just helping outin the war, was built by Lord Roberts Workshops, based in Dundee. This memorial plaque sits across the road from the church today, and can be viewed by anyone at any time.
Right up until today, the church dedicates itself to aiding the needs of people as well as the needs of the church itself. In this House of God, the church encourages people to be grateful for the things they have, whether they are big or small, to savour the simple things in life and know that love is all around, not just from family and friends, but from God, our Father.
