Old Kirk of Kirkcaldy
The Old Kirk of Kirkcaldy is a former parish church in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. The church's Norman tower is the oldest building in continuous use in the town.
In 2011, after the Church of Scotland finalised Presbytery Plans to sell off 400 churches across Scotland, it was acquired by the Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Trust, who are committed to preserving it for use as a community resource, concert space, heritage centre and for continuing worship.
The kirk is open to the public for visits during the summer months, and regularly features live music, performances and events for the community. The kirk contains an organ installed in 1885 by August Gern, which is still in use for recitals. The kirk also features an interactive visual display, created by a team from St. Andrew's University School of Computer Science which shows the church building and town as they would have appeared in the 16th century.
History
The kirk first appeared in written record in 1240 when it was consecrated to St. Patrick and St. Bryce by the Roman Catholic Bishop David de Bernham, Bishop of St. Andrews. It is thought to have been built on the site of a previous Celtic church, established by monks from St. Columba’s monastery on Iona in the 7th century. The presence of a stone cist in the graveyard and burial remains found nearby suggest that the site of the present church has been used as a burial place from at least the Early Medieval Era. There are no records for the earliest period of the church until after the Reformation in 1560, where it appears in Kirkcaldy town records, with the first Session records dating from 1614.Records for the Kirkcaldy Kirk Sessions and accounts from 1663 to 1892 are available to view on Scotland's People.
Description
The kirk is situated on a hill overlooking the east of the town, not far from the harbour. The main building is a Victorian structure designed by Archibald Elliott, erected between 1807–1808 to replace an earlier structure that had become dilapidated. This part of the kirk contains a series of stained glass windows by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, from 1886, which were installed by William Morris, a set by the firm of Alexander Gascoigne of Nottingham, and more modern examples from John Clark in 1986 and in 1994, by Crear McCartney.The kirk tower is of Norman design has been dated to the 16th century. It is constructed from ashlar sandstone and follows the model of a mediaeval Scottish tower house, rising to a height of 55 feet, with walls in places 5 feet thick. As well as its use as a bell tower, this part of the kirk was used as the Session house, and in the 18th century served as the town jail. It is also thought to have been used as a place of refuge for the town's population, evidenced by the presence of several narrow slit windows. The tower features an outside parapet reached via an internal staircase, which allows visitors an extensive view of the town of Kirkcaldy and the Firth of Forth.