Church Overview

Old St Mary’s Church or the “Lady Kirk” is in the very south of the south parish of Burwick. The current late 18th century building sits on the site where the first Christian missionaries reputedly arrived in Orkney.

The First Statistical Account relates that the church was built in 1790, replacing its medieval predcessor.  Its interior was refurbished in 1896. The church houses a rounded grey whin stone that is carved with two footprints and is believed to be a Pictish coronation stone.

It ceased holding weekly services around 1959 and was only used for occasional services thereafter. A lightning strike in 2013 caused significant damage to the bellcote and surrounding roof, allowing rain to penetrate the interior and cause further damage. The building was entered onto the national Buildings at Risk Register thereafter and the local authority issued a repair enforcement action on the Church of Scotland, requesting they address the damage and make building wind and watertight.

Church was repaired and marketed for sale in 2016. The building was acquired the following year by the St Mary’s Preservation Trust whose volunteers look after it today.

Opening Arrangements

Open by arrangement 

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.