Canisbay Parish Church is a Church of Scotland church in Canisbay, Scotland, that dates back to the early 1600s and is the most northernly church on mainland Britain. It is a Category A listed building.[1] It is surrounded by a large cemetery, which is split into two sections, the new and old. It features a square bell tower, nave and a porch. The porch was added in 1891, when the other extensions and work was completed to the church building.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Canisbay_Church.jpg/290px-Canisbay_Church.jpg)
The church was rebuilt in the 17th century, and ancient remains were discovered after a wall collapsed in the cemetery. Jan De Groot, the man who founded John o' Groats, is buried in Canisbay cemetery; his tombstone sits in the church building and is a popular tourist attraction when the building is open for visitors every summer. The book Lest We Forget: The Parish of Canisbay (1996) is a "miscellany of memories written by parishioners and friends so that future generations can know what made Canisbay a very special place".
Between 1959 and 2001 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was a regular worshipper at the church during her periods of residence, usually in late summer each year, at the nearby Castle of Mey, which she owned.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Canisbay Parish Church". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ McCann, Nick (2003). The Castle and Gardens of Mey. Derby: Heritage House Group Ltd. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-85101-3821.
External links
edit58°38′19″N 3°07′57″W / 58.63856°N 3.13259°W