The New Church
Although it has not been possible to unearth written evidence that John Smith was the architect of Banchory Ternan East, the style of the building is typical of his work; the ogee profile of the coping stones on the front boundary wall is his personal "trade mark" - found on most of his buildings.
John Smith (1781 - 1852) known as "Tudor Johhnie" was Aberdeen's first City Architect. Most of his churches are in the Perpendicular Gothic style; Udny and Nigg are not unlike Banchory, while Aberdeen South in Belmont Street (now a theme pub), St Clement's in Footdee (closed) and Fourdon Parish Church are more grandiose exercise of the same genre.
The most interesting features of Banchory Ternan are its tower and the windows of the main church building. Like most towers built by Smith it comprises four storeys entrance porch, gallery, belfry and clock stage, all surmounted by a castellated parapet with corner pinnacles. In Banchory, Smith has placed the clock stage topmost - it usually appears between the gallery and belfry levels - the restricted height of the tower may have dictated this. Here too, the pinnacles are small, purely decorative unlike the larger, structural and often highly decorated examples quoted above.
The windows of the sanctuary are in a Georgian "Gothic" style having the main outlines of the Perpendicular form but infilled with clear glazed casements in the Georgian manner. Substantial buttresses (to withstand the outward pressure of the side galleries) and corner pinnacles strengthen and enhance the otherwise plain exterior.
Internally, little of Smith remains - the removal of the side galleries giving the church a squarish as against an elongated Gothic "feel". The Chancel, and addition of 1928-30, echoes Smith's style in a somewhat lighter vein. The finely-moulded chancel arch contains and sets off the excellent stained glass and the crisply detailed woodwork of the organ case and choir stalls.
Mr Norman Marr C.St J., FRIAS, ARIBA