St Mary's Church, Cove Bay facts for kids

St Mary the Virgin (Cove Bay) is a special church located in Cove Bay, a part of Aberdeen, Scotland. It belongs to the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney within the Scottish Episcopal Church. Since 2003, this church building has been shared by two different groups: the Episcopal congregation and the Cove Congregational Church. Even though they have their own separate worship times, they work together and share many parts of church life.

A Look Back: The Church's Story

How it All Started

The church first opened its doors in 1864. It was started as an Episcopalian mission hall by Dr Alexander Forbes, who was the Bishop of Brechin. At that time, Cove Bay was a small fishing village. Many of its residents were fishermen and their families who had moved from England. For them, the Episcopal (Anglican) faith was a very important part of their lives.

The building had two main uses when it first opened. It served as both a church and a school for boys. For over 100 years, this building has been a key part of village life in Cove Bay.

Early Connections

From the very beginning, St Mary's Church had a strong link with St Peter's Episcopal Church in Torry. Sometimes, if there wasn't a priest available at St Mary's, people would walk along the coast to St Peter's. They would go there for important events like baptisms, confirmations, weddings, or funerals.

The Church Building

The church building is made of strong granite stone and has a slate roof. It also has a bell. Inside, the roof is open, which means you can see the wooden beams and boards that make up the roof. About 100 people can sit inside the church.

When it was first built, the church had a round "rose window" at the east end. This was where the boys' school met. At the west end, there was a slightly raised, three-sided area called an apse. This is where the original altar was placed.

Changes Over Time

In the 1890s, a new school was built in Cove. After that, the St Mary's building was used only as a church.

The walls of the apse are believed to have been painted way back in 1870. These paintings were later covered up around 1924. They were hidden because people at the time felt they were not in the current style. In 1929, six beautiful stained glass windows were added to the building.

At some point, the inside of the church was changed. It was re-arranged to face east, which is the traditional direction for an Episcopal church. The back part of the church was separated and used as a storage area for many years.

Around 1990, more changes were made. The original vestry (a room for clergy) on the south side was turned into a kitchen, a special toilet for people with disabilities, and a new church entrance. A ramp was added to the new side door to make it easier for everyone to enter. An emergency exit was also created through the north wall.

By the late 1990s, the number of people attending the church had become very small. This was due to changes in culture and people moving away. The St Mary's building was also in need of many repairs.

Today, St Mary's Church is the only public building left from the old village. The church building is now officially recognized as a Category B listed building by Historic Environment Scotland. This means it's an important historic building that needs to be protected.

Sharing the Space: Cove Congregational Church

In October 2003, an agreement was made for Cove Congregational Church to share the St Mary's building. Since then, the church building has been getting many needed repairs. The church community itself has also found new energy and life.

The two groups, Episcopal and Congregational, have different ways of worshiping. However, they share many other parts of church life. They have fellowship meetings, organize fundraisers, and make decisions together about the church property.

Cove Congregational Church started as a new church group in 1995. It is part of the Congregational Federation. The Scottish area of this federation has 29 churches. These churches are independent but work together and support each other.

Hidden Treasures: Historic Paintings

As part of the work to restore the building, some wooden panels at the west end were removed. This revealed five paintings of different sizes that had been hidden. Experts have said these paintings are "decorative panels of real historical interest." There is also a painting of Madonna.

Advice about these paintings has been sought from the Episcopal Diocese, Aberdeen City Council, and The Conservation Studio in Edinburgh. Everyone agreed that the paintings are special, and worth restoring and keeping for the community to enjoy.

On Christmas Eve in 2004, the first three restored paintings were shown to the public. By Christmas 2005, all the paintings were back in the church. A special service was held in September 2005 to celebrate the unveiling of this restored artwork.

Church Activities

Here are the regular times for services and activities at St Mary's Church:

• Sunday 9:30am (Episcopal Service)
• Sunday 11:00am (Congregational Service)
• Thursday 7pm Bible Study
• Friday 3-5pm Craft & Friendship Club (during Winter)
• Friday 6pm-8pm Boy's Brigade in Loirston Annexe (during school term)
• Last Saturday of the Month 10am-12noon Community Coffee Morning