An East Perthshire church is to close its doors in response to a steep reduction in its congregation numbers.
Riverside Methodist Church on Riverside Road, Rattray, opened in 1887 and has several historic stained glass windows, including one that honours the Labour Corps regiment, which fought in the First World War.
The number of people attending the church has been dwindling in recent years.
Only around a dozen people regularly turn up for the weekly Sunday services, down from an average of around 70 several years ago.
Minister the Rev John Butterfield said services will continue until the church is sold.
Outlining the reasons for the church’s closure, he said: “It’s quite a landmark for the town but the congregation number wasn’t quite enough.
“The cost of heating it is quite expensive and there are some other issues with the building, such as dry rot.”
He continued: “We’re not just going to walk away from it, though. Services will only stop being held there once it’s sold.”
The Rev Jean Murrie, a former minister at the church, said she felt the decision to close its doors “had to be made”.
Mrs Murrie, who served the Riverside congregation for 10 years until she retired in 2004, said: “The congregation had become quite small and for some time there’s been a difficulty in meeting the financial commitments needed for a building of its size and age.
“It’s sad but it’s time for the church to do something new. It’s not productive to keep such a demanding building. However, we will be staying in it until it’s sold and will also continue to host the groups which meet on the premises.”
She continued: “Without the church we’ll no longer have the burden of such an ancient building to care for.
“It’s not in a parlous state it’s watertight.
“We recently spent a fair amount of money on the roof,” she went on.
“It’s a very well-built church that hasn’t caused a great deal of distress in more than 120 years.
“The sale could take a number of years.
“There will continue to be a Methodist society in Blairgowrie and Rattray the church is about the people, after all, not about the building.”
The church has a historic organ made in 1870 by Peter Conacher and installed in the building in 1913.
Once the future of the building is finalised, the church members plan to continue to meet for worship and other activities at another venue in the town.