St John's Kirk

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Coordinates: 56°23′45″N 3°25′41″W / 56.395857°N 3.42811641°W / 56.395857; -3.42811641
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For the church of the same name in Lochwinnoch, see St John's Kirk, Lochwinnoch.

St John's Kirk
Old Church
Perth, Perth and Kinross
CountryScotland, United Kingdom
DenominationChurch of Scotland
WebsiteOfficial website
History
Statusopen
DedicationJohn the Baptist
Architecture
Functional statusused
Heritage designationCategory A listed building
Designated20 May 1965
Years builtc. 1448 (576 years ago) (1448)
Specifications
Spire height154 feet (47 m)
Clergy
Minister(s)Rev Philip Patterson

St John's Kirk is a church in the Scottish city of

Category A listed building.[1] The church is most noted for being the site of John Knox's 1559 sermon against idolatry, which began the Scottish Reformation
.

Perth was originally called St Johns Toun (or Saint Johnstoun), after John the Baptist, to whom the church is dedicated.

The church is bounded by St John's Place to the north (fed by Kirkgate) and south (as South St John's Place, fed by St Ann's Lane), St John Street to the east and Flesher's Vennel to the west.

Earlier structure

There has been a church on the site since 1126, when King David I withdrew funds to support Dunfermline Abbey. It was likely not completed until 1242, however, which is when it was dedicated by David de Bernham, the bishop of St Andrews.[2]

The heart of King Alexander III was buried at the location in 1286.[2]

King

Prince Charles Edward Stuart are all known to have worshipped there.[2]

Today's church

The present church, cruciform in shape, is a result of a 15th-century rebuild. The choir is now the oldest part of the building, dating to 1448.[2]

The central tower is understood to have been the model for the two towers of

prostitutes, but it was removed in 1823.[2] The north porch is known as Halkerston's Tower, likely after architect John Halkerston, who worked at the church in the 1460s.[2]

Before the Scottish Reformation, the incorporations of crafts in Perth had altars in the church. The wrights (carpenters) and barbers maintained an altar dedicated to "Our Lady of Pity". A craftsman who broke the rules would pay a fine in wax for the altar lights.[3]

On 11 May 1559, minister and founder of the

Presbyterian Church of Scotland John Knox preached against idolatry in the kirk, which marked the beginning of the Reformation in Scotland.[2] After the sermon, the congregation stoned the priest, removed ornamentation from the church, and then went to nearby Greyfriars, Blackfriars and Charterhouse monasteries, "stripping them back to their bare walls".[2][4] St John's Kirk was subsequently divided into three separate churches — East, Middle and West — each with its own minister.[2]

Until 1580, the surrounds of the church was the principal cemetery of Perth. While there are several burials still in the vicinity, prominent citizens were buried within the church.[2]

The church in 1860

James Gillespie Graham reduced the north transept in 1825 in order to improve traffic flow. He also carried out repairs on the building.[2] Another restoration was done by Sir Robert Lorimer as a memorial to the men of Perthshire who lost their lives in World War I. Knox Chapel was dedicated to those who later fell in World War II. It was at the time of Graham's work that the church's interior partitions were removed, uniting the congregation once more. Lorimer also reinstated the upper floor of Halkerston's Tower.[2]

Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1955 and 1977. She dedicated the Black Watch window on her first visit.[2]

Pre-Reformation features of the church include

mason's marks. There is also a medieval collection box and a modern tapestry.[2]

Repair and restorations occurred in the 1980s and in the early 21st century. The

Perth Museum and Art Gallery in the 19th century.[2]

The spire's

weathercock was removed and restored in 2020.[6]

Perth's first dedicated

St John's Shopping Centre, which was perceived to be "an insult" to veterans.[7][8]

Stained glass

The church's early stained glass is the work of Ballantine and Allan, Stephen Adam and Douglas Strachan.[2]

The stained-glass Blue Window in the northwest corner of the church is the work of American glazier Harvey Salvin, while the Black Watch Window was created by William Wilson.[9]

Bells

Contained within the church building are 63 bells, a greater number than any other church in the British Isles. Of these, 35 form the active carillon installed in 1935, which is housed in the main tower belfry; the remainder are disused (13 hang in the side belfry on the north side of the spire which are visible from the outside, and the remaining 15 hang in a metal frame at floor level within the church building).

The Ave Maria bell, which hangs in the side belfry dates from about 1340.  The disused “Agnus Dei” bell which is one of the 15 bells at floor level probably dates from the early 16th century.  The bourdon or largest bell of the carillon, weighing 1429 kg, is an extremely fine casting by Peter Waghevens of Mechlin (Malines) and is dated 1506. This is one of the finest pre-reformation bells in existence.  There are five Flemish chime bells (at floor level), dated 1526, which bear no maker’s name but may be the work of Willem van den Ghein of Mechlin.  In all there are eight bells at St John’s which date from before the Reformation.[10]

The modern carillon consists of the bourdon bell by Peter Waghevens (1506), and 34 bells cast by Gillett & Johnston (1934).[11]  The whole carillon was set up for playing in the Croydon bell foundry in January 1935, and was inspected by the Prime Minister, Ramsey MacDonald.[12]  The bourdon hands in a lowside cast-iron frame for full circle ringing, the other 34 bells are hung dead in a metal framework to one side of the bourdon over five levels.  These 35 bells are not visible from street level. The manual transmission of the carillon was replaced; the bell frame cleaned down and repainted by John Taylor & Co in 2022.[13]

Gallery

  • The church's tower above the rooftops, looking west from Bridgend
    The church's tower above the rooftops, looking west from Bridgend

See also

References

  1. ^ ST JOHN'S KIRK, KIRKSIDE, ST JOHN'S PLACE, ST JOHN STREET - Historic Environment Scotland
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Francis Hindes Groome (1901)
  3. ^ Michael Pearce, 'A French Furniture Maker and the 'Courtly Style' in Sixteenth-Century Scotland', Regional Furniture, 32 (2018), p. 128. The original 16th-century minute book of the Perth craft of wrights and barbers is held by the National Library of Scotland.
  4. ^ "Exploring Scotland's happiest – and most underrated – city" – The Telegraph, 21 March 2021
  5. ^ Matthew Price, 'Towns and Churches', Alexander Fleming & Roger Mason, Scotland and the Flemish People (John Donald, 2019), p. 94.
  6. ^ "Perth Kirk's ancient weathercock to take temporary flight ahead of restoration work" – The Courier, 7 February 2020
  7. Dundee Evening Telegraph
    , 12 October 2020
  8. ^ Armed Forces Day: Commemorations take place in Tayside and Fife – The Courier, 27 June 2021
  9. ^ "A walk around the Stunning Interior of the Kirk" – St John's Kirk official website
  10. ISSN 2056-743X
    .
  11. ^ "Tower details". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  12. ^ Prime Minister inspects carillon bell foundry (1935), retrieved 14 March 2023
  13. ^ "Perth, Perthshire, Scotland". John Taylor & Co. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

Bibliography

  • Forthergill, Rhoda, Rita Hartley and Sue Hendry (2010), Walks Around Historic Perth. Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, Perth
  • Gifford, John (2007), The Buildings of Scotland: Perth and Kinross. Yale University Press, New Haven and London
  • Haynes, Nick (2000), Perth & Kinross: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. The
    Rutland Press
    , Edinburgh

External links

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