Church Overview

Drumoak Church was built to a Perpendicular Gothic design by Archibald Simpson in 1835/36. The church is a quite typical Simpson design, within a simple rectangular five-bay box. The front is enlivened with a narrower single-bay entrance projecting out to the south, punctuated with square granite corner buttresses and a central bellcote perched on the apex of the gable. Five pointed lancet windows line the walls on either side, (the final ones being blank), with a more dominant tripartite traceried window implanted centrally on the main gable. All the windows are hooded with granite mouldings and are expressed also within chamfered granite reveals, successfully contrasting against the basically rendered external walls. Clear diamond glazing outlined with a plain amber coloured band is leaded directly into the window surround stonework. 

Prior to the interior being stripped out as part of an unfinished refurbishment begun in 2017, it possessed a plain plastered ceiling, pine-lined dado, panelled gallery front, pulpit and pews, terminating at the north end on the  centrally placed pulpit and a gable dominated by three high lancet windows. Its stained glass in the central window was installed in 1959. Behind the pulpit against the same wall, a small single-storey vestry extension projects externally with chamfered corners. Doric-looking columns supported the internal gallery, the paired central ones suggesting that the church probably had a central aisle prior to the previous major refurbishment carried out in 1880. The area under the gallery was partitioned off to form a “welcome/meeting” area.

In 2015, plans were developed by the congregation redevelop the interior of the building to create a community centre, worship space, toilets and café over two floors within the sanctuary. After securing grant-funding, work began in 2017 to remove all of the internal fixtures, fittings and plasterwork and insert a new steel-supported mezzanine level. This project was still incomplete when the building was marketed for sale in November 2024.

Closed and Put up for sale by the church of Scotland in Nov 2024

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.