By Graham Brown

A CAROL service heralded a new era for Clova Kirk in the Angus glens yesterday.

It marked the completion of the first phase of renovation work at the building, following a community-led effort that began last year.

The formation at that time of the Clova Kirk Trust was aimed at saving the deteriorating building for the community and, in doing so, keeping intact the history of the area, where a church has stood for nearly 1000 years.

A trust board elected last June secured the purchase of the property, which had not been used for many years, from the Church of Scotland and set about raising the funds for renovations, which have included a rewire, heating system and redecoration.

Through their own voice and the wider audience, which can visit a website set up to promote the work of the trust and the kirk, it is hoped Clova will become a venue for services of all denominations.

The trust has also unearthed much of the fascinating history of the kirk at Cloveth, by which name it is mentioned in a charter granted at Forfar by King Malcolm II around 1010.

The church was anciently dependent on Aberbrothock (Arbroath) Abbey and, after the Reformation, it was occasionally served by the minister of Glamis, the parish to which it was annexed for a period.

In 1618 Clova was united to Cortachy and the minister of the combined parishes continued to officiate in both churches for the next two centuries.

Then, in 1814, a missionary minister, receiving a grant from the Royal Bounty Fund, was appointed to preach at Clova and Glenprosen.

He travelled over the mountain between the two on his pony, or with a pony and cart, and the Minister’s Path still exists as a route for hillwalkers.

The old church of the parish is reported to have been rebuilt in 1730 and the new church took its place in 1855.

Further change took place in 1946, when the parishes of Clova and Glenprosen were united under one minister and, in 1954, the parish of Clova and Glenprosen was united with Cortachy and Memus to form a single parish under one minister.

By the end of the 20th century, regular services were no longer held at Clova Kirk, but it was still used for occasional services such as christenings and weddings, under the charge of the Glens and Kirriemuir Old Parish Church.

“Clova Kirk is now available for religious ceremonies of all denominations and we hope it will once again thrive, both as a spiritual centre and as a building,” said a trust official.