This drawing of a church seems to be a preparatory stage in a competition entry for the design. The design seems to be Mackintosh's own, rather than that of one his principals, John Honeyman or John Keppie, and probably dates from 1895-99. There were many such competitions for churches in Glasgow at this period, both limited and open, and Honeyman, who was well-connected in such circles, often diverted such work to Mackintosh. The design for Queens's Cross church in Glasgow was given to Mackintosh by Honeyman in 1897 when he was beginning to wind down his own practice.

A note by Dr. Howarth on this drawing compares it to the towers of the cathedral at Victoria, British Columbia, designed by Henry Wilson and published in 1893. There are definite similarities but a similar turret and cap had been drawn by Mackintosh at Wimborne in Dorset in 1895. The competition is unidentified but the shape and size of the church corresponds to a number of churches designed in Glasgow and Paisley in the mid-1890s for which Mackintosh, or Honeyman & Keppie, are likely to have competed.