Dunnottar Church

The photograph on the first page shows the present church building, which dates from the turn of the 20^th Century, and includes part of the 1792 building. The north transept was added in 1869, and the church was completely reconstructed in 1903 to incorporate the choir and nave which are featured in this photograph.

At the back of the Chancel is a large stained glass window erected to the memory of the late George Yule, merchant of London and Calcutta, who is buried in Dunnottar. The window is a fitting tribute to the memory of a native who rose to be one of the merchant princes of our greatest possession and the dim, religious light it throws on the chancel gives the latter an effect really spirituelle.

Underneath the stained glass window stands the Kirk's panelled War Memorial to the memory of the sixty-one men of the First World War who were Dunnottar members and who made the supreme sacrifice.

On the east wall of the Chancel, rather higher than the war memorial, are four small stained glass windows to the memory of the twenty nine men of Dunnottar who were killed or died of wounds in the Second World War. On the Communion table is the Book of Remembrance of that war. It states the subject of the larger window was drawn from the narrative about the three Men of Kin David's bodyguard who risked their lives to bring him water from the Well of Bethlehem. It depicts the Agony in the Garden — Betrayal, Flaggellation, Cross-bearing (the child representing the young Christian Church). They were designed by Mr. John Blyth of Edinburgh.

Near the organ in the Chancel stands the lovely stone built Baptismal Font given by Mrs Barron of the manse in Loving Memory of Robert Brydon, her father, who died on June 28th 1915.

In addition to the many stained glass windows the interior is crowned by a magnificent hammer beam roof. The layout of the pews provides a feature unique in Stonehaven churches - a centre aisle. This is a great asset when conducting baptisms, weddings and funerals as it provides a focus to the dignity of the occasion.

In the graveyard there is the "Covenanters' Stone", a reminder of the Covenanters who were imprisoned in the nearby Dunnottar Castle. The graveyard itself is maintained in excellent order by Aberdeenshire Council.

The Organ

The organ was built and installed in the newly extended Dunnottar Church in 1903 and is an excellent example of the builder who built many organs for the North East of Scotland. It was designed and installed by John Wardle, the agent for the builder Wadsworth of Manchester.

The organ has three manuals and pedals and had mechanical action to the manuals with pneumatic action to the pedals. The drawstop action was mechanical. The organ was originally hand blown, but a gas engine and turbine were added in 1913.

In 1957 an electric blower was added, which was barely adequate and the pipework pressure of the organ was reduced to make it work.

In 1983 the organ was considerably modernised by David Loosley of Stirling including the addition of a trumpet, playable on the Great and Positive (previously Choir). The pedal organ was enlarged from two stops to seven, the mechanism made electric and electro-pneumatic and including a sixteen foot extension of the Trumpet.

In 1995 a new and larger fan blower was installed, allowing the pipework pressure to be restored to its original of three and three quarter inches w.g.

In 1998 a new pedal board was installed in standard position.

It has thirty-four speaking stops and is very suitable for the accompanying of congregational singing.

Public Address System

We have a state of the art public address system to enhance the delivery and flexibility of the service which can provide audio input for special services.

An induction loop system is incorporated for those with hearing difficulties

The public address system equipment is capable of recording services on CD for distribution to those unable to attend the church.

The Bell

The Church bell which was cast in 1793 by Andrew Lawson, the last of the Old Aberdeen founders is supposed to be one of the best examples of his work and F. C. Eeles in his “Church bells of Kincardineshire” speaks of it as follows:

“Insignificant though they are, those few fleur-de-lys used on the Dunnottar bell are perhaps one of the very latest survivals of the ecclesiastical art of the Middle Ages. This is perfectly possible because founders' stamps were handed on from one founder to another and in England there are several cases of the use of medieval stamps at the end of the 17th century. Moreover, in the foreign mouldings and outline of the Dunnottar bell, we see a lingering survival of that continental influence which ever since the English wars in the 14th century had held such sway in Scotland.”