A thousand of worship on the site of Dunnichen Church near Forfar came to an end with a final service on Sunday.
The B-listed building will now be sold and the congregation will transfer to Letham Church.
Closure of the church also severed long-held personal connections to the building. The Rev Jim Davies, minister of the linked charge of Dunnichen, Letham and Kirkden, said: “For some people it is the place where they have worshipped since they were born.”
Symbols of the church including the communion vessels, the baptismal font and the bible were removed from the church in a final ceremony before the doors were locked.
Angus Presbytery decided to close Dunnichen Church at a time when the Church of Scotland faces falling numbers of members across the country and large bills to maintain deteriorating buildings.
Mr Davies said: “Over the years things have changed dramatically. That is why we are looking at the end of the life of the building.”
The congregation has shared a minister with Letham Church for some time. Services took place in both churches each Sunday apart from July and August, when they alternated.
Mr Davies said Dunnichen Church was opened in 1802 but the site had far more ancient links to Christianity.
“The congregation celebrated the building’s 200th anniversary nine years ago but it has been a site of worship for around 1000 years. Up against that the present building is not very old when the actual site of Christian worship goes back 1000 years.
“It is a country church on a very ancient site. It is not a grand building with stained glass windows but there is a beauty in its simplicity.”
He said the architecture was of the Reformed Protestant style. There were a number of links to the past on Sunday, as former ministers were invited back to participate in the final service. Eleven people, including the former ministers, spoke a prayer of thanksgiving for the church.
Letham Church is about to undergo a major refurbishment, with work carried out in phases depending on finances. The plan is to provide a flexible space for use by the congregation and community. The first phase will involve removing wooden pews and providing individual chairs.
The floor is also due to be levelled. The old boiler and pipes will be removed and a modern electric heating system installed. External works will be carried out, the floor and roof space will be insulated, the building will be rewired and a new audio system installed.
Mr Davies said the architect was putting the work out to tender. As funds become available there are plans to remodel the vestry and session room to provide a larger entrance and welcoming area. The area will also provide an accessible toilet and a small tea-making kitchen.
These works are estimated at around £150,000 the congregation has £80,000, with applications submitted for grants and plans to sell land adjacent to the manse to make up the shortfall.
Plans to replace the prefabricated church hall and build an extension to Letham Church, costed at a further £300,000, are said to be “very much in the future”.
Photo used courtesy of photosonlocation.