Kirkoswald Parish Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kirkoswald Parish Church |
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Kirkoswald Parish Church
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| 55°19′44″N 4°46′35″W / 55.3288°N 4.7765°W | |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Churchmanship | Ministers and Elders in C of S |
| Website | [1] |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Kirkoswald |
| Presbytery | Ayr |
Kirkoswald Parish Church is a historic church found in the small village of Kirkoswald, located in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a parish church that belongs to the Church of Scotland.
Contents
The Church's Unique Design
This church is quite special because its design was greatly influenced by Robert Adam. He was a very famous Scottish architect. At the time, Adam was also busy creating his most famous work, Culzean Castle. You can see many of his design ideas in the church building.
Building and Renovations
The church was built in 1777 and has mostly stayed the same since then. In 1997, a small fire happened within the heating system. During repairs, some problems like wet rot and dry rot were found. The building then had a big renovation. However, the inside of the church was carefully restored to look almost exactly as it did before. Experts from Culzean Castle helped make sure the colours were as close to the original as possible.
The Old Church and Graveyard
Kirkoswald Parish Church was built to replace an even older church. That first church was built around 1220. You can still see the ruins of this ancient church in the village. They are in the middle of the old graveyard (55°19′48″N 4°46′40″W / 55.3300°N 4.7779°W).
Famous Connections in the Graveyard
The old graveyard has many interesting graves. This is mainly because of its strong connections to the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns. His mother, Agnes Broun, came from Kirkoswald village. Robert Burns himself spent about nine months in the village in 1776 when he was 17 years old. Many of the characters in his famous poem "Tam o' Shanter" are based on people who lived locally. Their graves are in the old churchyard and are clearly marked.
Scipio Kennedy's Grave
One important grave not linked to Robert Burns is that of Scipio Kennedy. He was a black African slave who was brought to Scotland in 1702. Scipio lived on the Culzean estate and was given his freedom in 1725. His grave is a reminder of a different time in history.
Church Leadership
Kirkoswald Parish Church is connected with Fisherton Parish Church. The church has been without a permanent minister since Arrick Wilkinson retired in early 2013.
See also
