Church Overview

Situated on a rugged and exposed site, commanding views over the Bay of Skaill with Skara Brae in the distance, this simple lime-washed building, with its low bellcote topped with a ball finial, is a rare survival of a quite exceptional unaltered Scots parish kirk of the late Georgian era.

Also known as Skaill Kirk, St Peter’s Kirk is the latest of several churches to have been built on this coastal site, its predecessor was erected in 1670 but was in a parlous state of repair by 1834. Work began in 1836, under the supervision of local mason James Sinclair, who took the older church down to its foundations and rebuilt the current one in its place. The building was reroofed in 1910.

The interior is dominated by a magnificent towering pulpit, that reaches to gallery height, flanked on either side by round-headed windows. The austere space powerfully evokes the experience of Presbyterian worship in the 19th century, when 544 individuals regularly packed the building – each allowed a mere 18 inches of space on the pews in sanctuary floor or its elegant horseshoe gallery. The only hint of decadent decoration within the room tops the balustrade running around the precentor’s and elders box beneath the pulpit.

Following the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church in 1929, services were split between St Peter’s and the former UF Church in Quoyloo and gradually the older kirk became surplus to the requirements of the parish and somewhat neglected. In 1988, the local Church of Scotland presbytery recommended that the congregation seek formal permission to demolish the A-listed church, a position which happily did not come to pass, but the building did enter onto the national Buildings at Risk Register.

In 1998, the little island kirk was acquired by the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust, now Historic Churches Scotland, and the national heritage charity embarked on an ambition fundraising drive to carry out much-need extensive repairs. Employing local craftspeople and a first principle to repair rather than replace as much original fabric as possible, a five year restoration project followed, Upon completion, the church received a Europa Nostra award for conservation in 2003. Local volunteers from the Friends of St Peter’s Kirk now care for the building on a day-to-day basis.

Services

Occasional services, weddings and funerals by arrangement. For arranging services, please telephone Historic Churches Scotland on 0131 563 5135.

Opening Arrangements

Open April to October 10.00am-6.00pm, November to March by arrangement, telephone Historic Churches Scotland on 0131 563 5135

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.