Description

James Gillespie Graham, 1831-3. George Page, builder. Neo-Norman cruciform-plan church with pinnacled 2-stage entrance tower, rose-traceried window to S and raised centre 3-light windows to transepts. Dressed ashlar (Knockhill stone). Deep stepped base and cill courses, corniced blocking course. Deeply moulded round-headed openings with hoodmoulds, mask label stops and cushion-capitalled nookshafts. 3-stage, polished ashlar, finialled and pinnacled, saw-tooth coped buttresses to tower. Corbels; chamfered reveals and stone mullions.

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Advanced centre bay with projecting tower (see below) and single window to each return, flanking bays each with further single window.

TOWER: 1st stage with set-back angle buttresses. Steps up to deeply moulded doorcase to N with paired nookshafts and 2-leaf tracery-effect panelled timber door, all below dominant pointed-arch hoodmould with cross at apex, cill course above giving way to small window; single window to E and W elevations, engaged to S. 2nd stage with cavetto cill course giving way to timber-louvered tripartite opening with clock-face to centre top set into square-headed frame at each elevation; corbel course above with crenellated parapet and slender octagonal angle pinnacles.

S (CHURCH LANE) ELEVATION: advanced cross-finialled gable to centre with 4-light rose-traceried window and flanking clasping buttresses with octagonal pinnacles. Flanking set-back bays each with single window and diagonal angle buttress.

E ELEVATION: advanced centre gable with raised-centre tripartite window, flanking buttresses as above, low door in re-entrant angle to left and single window to each recessed flanking bay.

W ELEVATION: mirrors that to E.

Diamond-pattern leaded glazing with coloured margins; stained glass see below. Grey slates. Ashlar-coped skews.

INTERIOR: galleried; timber bench pews. Tower with part-glazed traceried screen door and sunburst-astragalled fanlight; flanking curved stone stairs to gallery. Wide nave partly infilled with meeting rooms below gallery mid 1990s; arcaded wall to E with 6-light traceried stained glass War Memorial window over brass plaque 'TO THE GLORY OF GOD/1914-1919/IN MEMORY OF THE MEN FROM THIS PARISH WHO DIED IN THE WAR/THEIR NAMES SHALL BE HELD IN EVERLASTING REMEMBRANCE/Roll of Honour'. WWII memorial windows inserted. Raised chancel with carved oak communion table and pulpit; pipe organ beyond flanking rose window to S. Horseshoe gallery on cast-iron columns with blind arcaded timberwork front. Further memorials include brass wall plaque to 'Sir William Ogilvy Dalgleish Bart of Errol' (see Notes); timber memorial to 'Benefactors' dating from 1700 to 1968.

STAINED GLASS: S window 1867, design by J M Drummond of Megginch depicting scenes from life of Christ.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: coped rubble boundary walls with octagonal ashlar gatepiers.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Now (2000) linked with Kilspindie and Rait Parish Church. The site was donated by John Lee Allen of Errol Park, and the foundation stone laid on 14th April, 1831; a lead casket placed within the stone contained a brass plate with names of heritors. Officially opened on 17th March, 1833, the building was subsequently known as the North Church, and 'The Cathedral of the Carse'. The builder, George Page had charged only ?3,819 for his work and consequently was made bankrupt. The E wall houses a memorial worded "The clock in the tower of this Church was erected to the ancient peal of bells restored by parishioners and friends in memory of the Rev Robert Graham (for 42 years minister of the Parish) who died 24th January 1900 and of his wife Ellen Smith who died 15th April 1900. Erected 1902." There are three bells, the 'hour' bell inscribed 'The Rev D Mr Jas Jobson Minr 1762. Bell of Errol' and the 'quarter chime' 'Michael Bvrger Hvys M F 1637'. The organ and carved oak communion table were gifted by Messrs & Misses Bell of South Inchmichael in memory of their parents in 1905. As a memorial to her husband (see above), Lady Ogilvie Dalgleish funded a number of changes in 1915-16, these included a new floor, installation of heating and gas lighting, a carved fumed oak pulpit and oak chairs for ministers and elders. In 1934 electric light was installed at the expense of Mr William Watson of Scone, formerly of Inchcoonans. A silver baptismal font was the gift of Lady Betty Anstruther inscribed 'to the Kirk Session of Errol AD 1778', and the porch furniture came from the Free Church.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Errol Parish Church at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17569446

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
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  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
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  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)