Cramond Kirk

The origins of Cramond Kirk date back to the building here of an extensive Roman Fort. By about 600 AD a building on the site of part of the Roman Fort was being used for Christian worship. The earliest part of the church which survives today is the tower at its west end, which is thought to date back to the 1400s. Possibly of similar date is the Inglis family vault at the east end of the kirk, complete with a stone slabbed roof. Most of the church between these two extremities dates back to 1656. By then, nearly a century after the Reformation, the medieval church on the site had fallen into ruin and would doubtless have been structurally ill-suited to the needs of the Presbyterian Kirk and its very different forms of worship. The result was the near complete rebuilding of the kirk.

In 1828 the architect William Burn altered the church, while David Bryce oversaw changes in 1851 and 1868. Further major changes took place in 1911-12, which included the near total remodelling of the interior of the kirk and the alteration and refurbishment of a structure which had become very dilapidated.

The interior of the kirk is much more roomy than you expect from outside, and the most striking feature is the large amount of attractive woodwork on view lining the ceiling, panelling the lower parts of the walls, and in the pews and galleries. The focus of attention is the pulpit and communion table placed, unusually, at the kirk's south end.

There are a number of fascinating old gravestones in the Kirkyard, with perhaps the most striking being that of Robert Haig, which appears to carry a depiction of two nuns.

References:

• Undiscovered Scotland

Address

Cramond Glebe Road, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom