Old St Peter's Church, Thurso facts for kids
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Auld St Peter's Kirk is an old, ruined church in Thurso, Scotland. It's found on Wilson Lane in the area of Caithness. This church is dedicated to Saint Peter. It has been around since at least the year 1125. For a long time, it was the most important church in the whole county. Bishops of Caithness looked after it. In 1929, it became a special protected site called a scheduled monument. From 1975 to 2016, it was also listed as a very important building (Category A listed).
History of the Church
The church in Thurso is named after Saint Peter. Even though it wasn't directly named in some old documents, it was one of six churches kept special by Bishop Gilbert. He was a very important church leader.
In the 1500s, different church leaders, called vicars or ministers, looked after the church. For example, Master Walter Innes was the vicar of Thurso in 1560. Later, in 1641, King Charles I gave extra money to the minister, Alexander Monro. This money came from the church lands in Thurso.
Old St Peter's Church is still standing today. However, people stopped using it in 1832. This was because a new church was built for the area. The new church is called St Andrew's and St Peter's Church. It was designed in a style called Gothic by an architect named William Burn.
Church Design and Look
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The church has a cruciform shape, which means it looks like a cross from above. It was built in a style called "pointed," which refers to its arched windows and doorways. An old record from 1726 tells us some interesting things. It says that above a storage room, there was a meeting room for the church leaders. But the local sheriff and judges used it as a courthouse and even a prison! There was also a bell tower with a clock above another dungeon.
Today, the church no longer has a roof. It was built using local stones that were not perfectly shaped, called rubble stone.
Church Grounds
The old church is located on the left side of the River Thurso. It is very close to the sea. A wall made of rubble stone slabs surrounds the church and its grounds. In 2013, some gravestones in the churchyard were knocked over and broken.
