Wednesday December 17th 2025
Former Glasite Chapel in Galashiels
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A planning bid has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council to demolish a derelict mid-19th century chapel in Galashiels.
The Glasite Chapel or meeting house in Botany Lane is one of only a small number of such structures in Scotland.
It is of particular interest as a surviving meeting-place of a relatively rare sect, and also for its architectural interest, with a house and chapel contained within one uniform and simple structure.
The building is currently on the ‘Buildings at Risk’ register and has not been occupied since the beginning of the century.
The existing, traditional stick build roof, commonly seen in buildings of this period, has been deemed in bad order and needs to be entirely replaced due to rot.
The applicant, Galashiels-based Morrison and Murray Engineering, submitted a planning bid to SBC earlier this year to reinstate the roof with reclaimed slate on a breathable membrane, on sarked, pre-fabricated trusses.
But that application was later withdrawn.
Now a new application has been submitted for the structure’s complete demolition.
The applicants say repairs are not financially viable and are seeking complete demolition of the building due to its perilous condition.
A building condition report submitted with the application, from Marsh & Riddell surveyors, states: “The roof was found in very poor condition generally, with large swathes of the slates now beginning to slip from their fixings.
“Structurally the roof timbers are also in very poor condition because of the long-term water penetration. The roof timbers were inspected internally from a ladder with the rafter ends found to be completely rotten.
“The external walls were found in poor condition with several defects identified that require remedial actions.
“All internal floors, walls and the staircase have been removed from the property, most likely as a result of dry and wet rot damage.
“With the property essentially being open to the elements all internal finishes are now damaged beyond repair.”
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