Cockpen and Carrington Parish Church facts for kids
Cockpen and Carrington Parish Church is a church building located south of Bonnyrigg in Midlothian, Scotland. It is part of the Church of Scotland, which is the national church of Scotland. The church serves the southern part of Bonnyrigg, including a new housing area called Hopefield, and the countryside area to the south, which includes the village of Carrington.
The church as it is today started in 1975. This was when the churches of Cockpen and Carrington joined together. The old Carrington Parish Church building, which was built in 1711, stopped being used as a church then. It has since been changed into an office space. Before 1975, the Carrington church was connected with Temple Parish Church in Midlothian, which is also now closed.
The main church building, now known as Cockpen and Carrington Parish Church, was designed in 1816 by an architect named Richard Crichton. It was built between 1817 and 1820 by his students, R & R Dickson, after Crichton passed away. This church is very important, so it is a Category A listed building. It is still used regularly for services and community events. The church's tall tower is quite unusual for a church of its size. Its design was later copied, but made much bigger, for Kilconquhar Parish Church in Fife.
Church Leaders
Cockpen and Carrington Parish Church shares its minister with Lasswade and Rosewell Parish Church. This means one minister leads services and helps both church communities. This sharing arrangement with Lasswade began in 1977, and with Rosewell in 1991.
Past Ministers
- The Rev Wendy Drake (1992-2007)
- The Rev Matthew Ross (2009-2014)
- The Rev Lorna M Souter (2016- )
