The St Ninian's Centre (1960–2001) was a conference centre owned by the Church of Scotland which was located in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland. It was converted from the former Crieff West Parish Church (Crieff West and Crieff North Parish Churches had united in 1957) and was extensively used for over 50 years as a training and conference venue by church groups, for both day visits and residential events. It closed in the 2000s and has since been converted to private flats.
| St Ninian's Centre | |
|---|---|
 St Ninian's Centre | |
  St Ninian's Centre Location of the St Ninian's Centre in Perth and Kinross | |
| 56°22′31″N 3°50′38″W / 56.375304°N 3.84397°W | |
| Location | Comrie Road, Crieff |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Former Church of Scotland |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Crieff West Parish Church |
| Status | Former church |
| Dedication | St. Ninian |
| Events |
|
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Private flats conversion |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1837-8 |
| Closed | 1958 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone |
| Administration | |
| Presbytery | Presbytery of Perth |
History edit
Crieff West Parish Church was built 1837-8 on the corner of Comrie Road and Heathcote Road as a chapel of ease to the older Crieff (East) Parish Church, which stands on Strathearn Terrace. The Crieff Parish lay within the Presbytery of Auchterarder.[1][2] In 1864 the status of the church was raised to a quoad sacra parish.[3]
The building was converted for use as a lay training centre and was officially opened in 1958 by the evangelical Church of Scotland minister D. P. Thomson. It was extensively used for over 50 years as a training and conference venue by church groups, for both day visits and residential events.[4][5]
By the 1990s use of the centre was declining and the facilities were in need of modernisation. In 2000 the Church of Scotland's Board of National Mission proposed the closure of the centre. After some disagreement at the General Assembly, a Special Commission was set up to explore future use of the building, including continued use of the building as a Christian conference centre, but these proposal were not successful. In 2001 the General Assembly authorized the closure of St Ninian's. Planning permission was then sought for a change of use, and the building was sold off and converted into private flats, which today are rented out as holiday accommodation.[6]
Architecture edit
The church was designed by the Scottish architect Thomas Lennox Watson in an early Gothic Revival style fronted with ashlar stone. The centrepiece of the front gable end is a bell tower and the corners are topped with Gothic pinnacles. Around 1925, additional church furnishings were installed by the designer Robert Lorimer. After conversion to a training centre, alterations to the building were carried out in 1960 by the architects Finlayson & Campbell. In 1982, a stone-clad flat-roofed porch was added to the front and an octagonal chapel built on the south-west side.[7][2]
References edit
- ^ Lewis, Samuel (1851). A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland: Comprising the Several Counties, Islands, Cities, Burgh and Market Towns, Parishes, and Principal Villages, with Historical and Statistical Descriptions: Embellished with Engravings of the Seals and Arms of the Different Burghs and Universities. S. Lewis and Company. p. 247. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ a b "DSA Building/Design Report: Crieff UP Church". Dictionary of Scottish Architects -. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Crieff from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ Macdonald, Finlay A. J. (30 April 2017). From Reform to Renewal: Scotland's Kirk Century by Century. Saint Andrew Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-86153-976-5. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Fraser, Liam Jerrold (16 December 2019). "The Scottish ideal: Lay education and training in the Church of Scotland". Theology in Scotland. 26 (2): 57–70. doi:10.15664/tis.v26i2.1921. ISSN 1465-2862. S2CID 213008477.
- ^ "Opinion: Church of Scotland General Trustees v James Crawford McLaren & Another". www.lands-tribunal-scotland.org.uk. Lands Tribunal for Scotland. 2004. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ Gifford, John (1 January 2007). The Buildings of Scotland: Perth and Kinross. Yale University Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-300-10922-1. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
External links edit
Media related to St Ninian's Centre, Crieff at Wikimedia Commons