Church Overview

This charming, aisleless Gothic church was built in 1873-74 at the request of the Bishop of St Andrews, the Rt. Rev. Charles Wordsworth, nephew of the poet William Wordsworth and the instigator of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Built on land donated by Scottish aristocrat and MP Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery it was designed by the noted Scottish architect John Lessels. Its formal consecration by the Bishop was delayed until 4 October 1881, until the debt incurred when the project overran its original estimates was cleared.

Its polygonal, four stage tower received its bell in 1881, and Graham-Montgomery donated further ground north of the church in 1886 to build a parsonage and landowner Purvis Russell donated ground to the south to lay down a garden garden for the church in 1888. A church hall was added in the early 1900s, which today hosts a regular rotating programme of exhibitions of local artists and makers known as Arts@St Paul’s.

The church’s peaceful five-bay nave, still contains wooden pews fixed to a handsome tessellated floor beneath a high, open-timbered roof held aloft on projecting stone corbels. The chancel possesses a carved aumbry, stall and altar and in 2006 the old pipe organ was dismantled to create a new Lady Chapel and a new organ Wyvern Sonata Mark 4 organ installed where the pulpit was formerly located, but utilising some of the original piping and panelling. There are a number of memorials in the church, including one to Girl Guide Captain Kathleen Anderson who drowned in the sea at St Andrews in 1929 while attempting to save the life of one of her troop.

The interior is lit by a number of fine stained glass windows, but most striking are undoubtedly the panels created and installed by noted Scottish artist Douglas Hamilton. The tapestry used to create the church’s kneelers was made from 1989-1991 by members of the congregation and their friends under the direction of Eileen Evetts, who then created the cushions themselves.  The altar cloth, showing the church and its surroundings, was made by Muriel Markiand. A new series of painted panels depicting the Stations of the Cross, by the artist Alan Aitken, was installed in 2023.

Services

Sundays at 10am

Opening Arrangements

10am till 4pm weekdays 

Image Gallery

Click image to open gallery.

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.