St Andrew's Garrison Church, Aldershot

St Andrew’s Garrison Church, situated at Queens Avenue, Aldershot, Hampshire (GU11 2BY) in southern England is a large army church designed in the late 1920s by the prominent Scottish architect Sir Robert Lorimer (1864–1929).

During the 1920s Sir Robert Lorimer designed a number of war memorials, including the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. St Andrew’s Garrison Church was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the First World War, also known as the Great War. A plaque in the porch of St Andrew’s states that:

"This church was built to the glory of God in thankful remembrance of the soldiers of the Church of Scotland and kindred churches throughout the empire who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914–1918."

As an army church, St Andrew’s is not officially classed as a Church of Scotland church. However, historically most of its ministers have been ordained Church of Scotland ministers. Additionally the church uses the standard Church of Scotland format for its services and the Church of Scotland hymn book, "Church Hymnary 4".

The congregation is not restricted to the military and services are open to civilians.

An army camp was established at Aldershot in 1854. Two churches were quickly erected in that camp the following year. By 1856 a third church was need and a portable structure known as the "Iron Church" was erected. In 1866 the Iron Church was transferred from its previous location near Thornhill Road, Aldershot to Queen’s Avenue, Aldershot, close to where St Andrew’s Garrison Church is sited today.

The Iron Church was used jointly by the Church of Scotland and the Church of England ministers until 1893. In that year St George's Garrison Church was built by the Army for the Anglicans. From then on, until its demolition in 1926, the "Iron Church" was just used by the Church of Scotland ministers. In 1908, Rev. J. T. Bird, the Chaplain at that time, asked that the Iron Church should be named after the patron saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew. The War Office agreed to this request.

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