Churches

  The first parish kirk in Galashiels stood on a site just south of the Old Town Cross, along Church Street.  It was built in 1617 and used as the only parish church in the town until 1813.   This church was originally oblong in shape with a gallery around three sides.  The centre of…

  As part of my research into Anchoritism during the Middle Ages in the North of England, I ventured to the ancient city of York.  This city offers a vast array of medieval buildings, and one can spend days exploring.   My particular interest during this trip was the Parish Church of St Cuthbert’s, located…

  Local legend has it that St Oran’s Chapel is named after Oran, a faithful follower of St Columba.  The story goes that St Columba created Reilig Odhrain (the burial ground) shortly after arriving on the Isle of Iona.  The thing is, he needed a faithful Christian soul to be buried there as part of…

  Slightly hidden, just off Coney Street, is the ancient church of St Martin le Grand. Of course, the church is also known as St Martin Coney Street. Why it has two names, no one seems to know. What I do know is that the two names create serious confusion when one tries to research…

  As is often the case when exploring, we stumbled across the little parish church of Fala and Soutra purely by chance.  After looking around the site of Soutra Aisle, we were on our way home on the A68 when I spotted the church spire off to the right.  We decided that there was enough…

  Standing rock-solid on a hill with a 198-foot spire reaching for the skies, St Mary’s in Bloxham is hard to miss.  From virtually every spot in the village, the church can be seen – which was possibly the designers’ aim. After all, as in all towns and villages, the church was the centre point…

  It is believed that St Andrew’s Church in Bishop Auckland is the largest parish church in the Diocese of Durham.  And it certainly feels it when you walk into this spacious, cruciform place of worship.   Massive arches, vividly coloured windows, and rich woodwork makes this church a perfect example of a 13th-century building.…