History of Dumbarton Free High Church
The beautiful building on Latta Street was completed in 1908, with the first official service held 7 June, 1908. A competition was held to determine the architects, and eventually Halley & Neil from Glasgow won the competition and designed the unique building.
The congregation had split from the National Church of Scotland in 1843 during a period viewed as the Disruption, and since then had held services first at a church on St. Mary's Way, Dumbarton, and then on the corner of High Street and Brewery Lane in the centre of town.
In 1900, the Free Church and the United Presbyterian Church combined to form a United Free Church. A small minority of the Free Church felt uncomfortable with the union and chose to remain separate, and remained in control of the building on the High Street.
The Free Church congregation on the High Street was eventually expelled from the building by the United Free Church, after a Royal commission set up by the government sought to reclaim the building for the United Free Church. The new, displaced Dumbarton Free Church congregation settled on the Latta Street location and built the current building. Over the entrance the dates listed are 1843 - 1908. The first refers to the date of the Disruption and move away from the National Church of Scotland. The second refers to the date the building was opened for congregational worship.
Since 1908, the church has experienced various trials and tribulations, recessions, and eventual growth. With the arrival of the Rev. Colin Buchanan in 2012 as interim minister, the church has experienced a small revival, bringing it back from the precipice of closure. With the Lord's help, Dumbarton Free High Church seeks to grow still further and establish itself as a strong and growing centre of worship in the town of Dumbarton.