Church Overview

The 150ft spire of this Early Pointed Gothic style church, set in front of the building that sits on a raised area within stepped gardens, dominates the view of Cupar from the many approaches into this Fife town. It was built 1876-78 for the local Free Church of Scotland congregation, to the designs of the noted Glasgow architectural partnership of Campbell Douglas & James Sellars, after their previous home in the town’s first Free Kirk church, built in 1843 on nearby South Union Street, had become too small for their needs.

The handsome church, built of stones quarried from Drumdryan Quarry, cost almost £10,000 to built and could seat around 1,000 individuals for worship. One local paper at the time of its opening opined that its impressive galleried interior, with its Gothic girders painted to imitate stonework, well-crafted woodwork and excellent acoustics, “eclipses anything ever seen in this part of Fife and is universally admired.”

In 1900, the congregation became part of the United Free Church of Scotland, after which it was renamed “St John’s United Free Church”, and an expensive E F Walcker & Co pipe organ was installed in 1903, which required the pulpit to be moved forward. In 1929. the congregation decided to join the Church of Scotland when the denomination merged with the United Free Church. Shortly before this union, the “Jubilee Memorial Room” was opened as an extension from the church hall, in commemoration of the church’s 50th anniversary the year before.

The building is naturally lit by its tall lancet windows, many filled with coloured glass. A pair of stained glass windows, depicting scenes of war, were unveiled in the church in October 1921 as a war memorial to commemorate the nineteen young men from the congregation who had given their lives in World War One, a plaque was added between them in June 1953 to commemorate the church’s members who had died in World War Two. The interior of the church was redecorated, the organ repaired and electric lighting installed in 1934.

The congregation of St John’s Church linked with that of Dairsie Parish Church in 2005 and formed a formal union in 2009, renaming themselves as St John’s and Dairsie United Parish Church of Scotland. The Walcker & Co organ was removed in 2010.

Services

Sundays at 10.30am and Wednesdays at 9.30am

Opening Arrangements

Contact church directly to arrange access

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.