St Margaret's Church, Aberlour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Margaret's Episcopal Church |
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St Margaret's viewed from the north
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| 57°28′21″N 3°12′56″W / 57.47250°N 3.21556°W | |
| Location | Aberlour, Moray |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Scottish Episcopal Church |
| History | |
| Founded | 19th century |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Category A listed building |
St Margaret's Church is a beautiful old church located near Aberlour in Moray, Scotland. It belongs to the Scottish Episcopal Church. The church looks like a grand castle, built in a style called Gothic. It's made mostly of pink granite stone.
The church has a special cross shape when you look at it from above. It has a long main hall called a nave, and two side sections called transepts. There's also a tall, thin tower at one corner. Inside, the church is very fancy. It has shiny granite pillars and beautiful carvings. There's also marble furniture and many colorful stained glass windows showing saints and Bible stories.
St Margaret's was built between 1875 and 1879. A famous architect named Alexander Ross designed it. Most of the money for the church came from a wealthy lady named Margaret Macpherson Grant. She inherited a large fortune from her uncle, Alexander Grant, who had made his money from business in Jamaica. The church was originally the chapel for an orphanage that Margaret Macpherson Grant started in Aberlour. The orphanage is no longer there, but the church is still used for services every week. It is considered a very important historic building, known as a Category A listed building.
Contents
Exploring St Margaret's Church
St Margaret's Church is hidden away in a quiet forest. You reach it by driving up a long path from Aberlour's main street. It's a large church shaped like a cross. It was built in the Gothic style, using pink granite stone.
Outside the Church
The church has a tall main hall, or nave, with a steep slate roof. The front of the church has a large window with fancy stone patterns. At the back, there's a smaller section called the chancel. It has three tall, narrow windows. There are also two side sections, the north and south transepts. Each transept has two tall windows.
At the church's southwest corner, there's a slender, eight-sided spire. It has a bell tower inside and a copper roof. Next to the spire is a large porch, which is the main entrance. Above the doorway, there's a statue of St Margaret. The doorway itself has columns with detailed carvings. The words "This is none other but the house of God" are carved above the entrance.
Around the church, there's a burial ground with a wall. You enter through two stone gateposts. Here, you can find three foundation stones from the old Aberlour Orphanage. There's also a war memorial dedicated to the boys from the orphanage who died in the First and Second World Wars.
Inside the Church
The inside of St Margaret's Church is very richly decorated. The main hall has arches supported by thick, polished pink granite columns. These columns have beautifully carved stone tops. The church is filled with wooden pews for people to sit on. The middle path has a decorative tile floor. Many stained glass windows show different saints.
The north and south transepts are not open to the main hall. The north transept is used as a vestry, which is a room where clergy prepare. The south transept holds the church organ. At the back of the church, there's a font used for baptisms. It has a fancy carved wooden cover that came from another church in London.
The most important part of the church is the chancel at the east end. It is raised higher than the rest of the church. A detailed metal screen separates it from the main hall. The chancel has original furniture, including special seats and an altar. These are all carved from a type of stone called Caen stone. There's also a brass tabernacle that looks very old. The floor here has decorative tiles. A stone pulpit, where the minister gives sermons, stands on a column. The three windows in the east end have stained glass showing the crucifixion and other Bible stories.
Church History
St Margaret's Church was built between 1875 and 1879. It was first used as the chapel for the Aberlour Orphanage. Margaret Macpherson Grant, a generous supporter of the Episcopal Church, paid for most of the construction.
Margaret Macpherson Grant inherited a huge amount of money from her uncle, Alexander Grant. He had made a large fortune from his business in Jamaica. Alexander Grant had also built Aberlour House (which is now a school). He died in 1854 and left all his money to his niece, Margaret. She then added 'Grant' to her name and moved into Aberlour House. She used her wealth to pay for the church and the orphanage, as well as other gifts to the church. Sadly, she passed away in 1877 before the church was finished. William Grant of Elchies then paid for the rest of the construction. The church was completed by November 22, 1879.
Over the years, the church received many improvements. The beautiful stained glass windows were put in between 1887 and 1907. The marble furniture in the chancel was added in 1900. The stone pulpit was installed in 1936. The wooden font cover was given to the church in 1978. St Margaret's was first recognized as a historic building in 1976. Its status was upgraded to a very important Category A listed building in 1987.
The orphanage that was connected to the church closed in 1967. The orphanage building itself was later taken down. Only its clocktower remains in a memorial garden near the church. The charity that ran the orphanage still exists today as the Aberlour Child Care Trust.
Current Use
St Margaret's Church is still an active place of worship. Services are held every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Images for kids
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St Margaret's viewed from the north
