The West Tamar Presbyterian Church,
commonly referred to as the Auld Kirk (Scots for old church and 'Kirk' itself
is a medieval word (It was introduced to Scotland by Viking settlers) and meant 'church' in Old Norse. This beautiful little church is situated on the bank of the Tamar
River , north of the Batman Bridge
The church was originally built by convicts (who were housed at Blackwood
Hills) and free labour. It is a simple Gothic rubble stone church and the
building of the church was begun in early 1843 at the instigation of the Rev
Alexander McKenzie and Mr James Reid of Richmond
Hill
He resigned in 1845 and returned to Scotland
After a disastrous fire gutted the church
in September 6th 1900, the church became known as “The Church with a
tree”. There are various paintings of the church from this time which shows the
tops of wattle trees growing inside the church above the walls. It is said that
eight bundles of bark were stripped from them when they were finally removed.
In 1912, a petition was sent to the
Presbyterian Assembly from Sidmouth, requesting 350 pounds for the restoration
of the building. Unfortunately no money was forthcoming so the members of the
West Tamar congregation raised the money needed and the church was reopened on
May 4th 1913. In 1914, the Rev C.A Anderson came to the Auld Kirk
but by 1920 he had resigned his position after a sharp decline in members. As a
result the church was closed.
By December 1933, the church was re-opened
and re-dedicated. In the following years, many ministers have come and gone but
the “Little Kirk” on the banks of the Tamar River
Main
Text & Information Source –
Historic
Photos –
