Church Overview

Swinton Kirk has been greatly altered over the centuries, but the current church, which mainly dates from 1729, incorporates several fragments from the medieval buildings that occupied this site, including an interesting recessed aumbry that would most likely have held the sacraments of the pre-Reformation church.

The earliest dated intervention following the Reformation is evidenced by a carved stone in the porch that reads “Mak no delay to turn to the Lord. Anno 1593” and the Swinton family added a burial vault north of the chancel in the early 17th century. The lintel was moved in 1729, when the church was substantially rebuilt and the last major renovation took place in 1910, overseen by the celebrated architect Robert Lorimer, in collaboration with fellow architect Thomas Purves Marwick.

The peaceful plastered interior is entirely down to the restoration of 1910-11. The dark-stained Canadian elm pews that face the carved pulpit, communion table and minister’s chair, that are all surrounded by a timber enclosure rail guarded by two beautifully carved tusked boars (inspired by the Swinton crest), were all installed then. The chancel furnishings were created by artists from  the South Kensington School of Art and the gift of Captain George Swinton, then March Pursuivant and future Lord Lyon King of Arms.

In addition to their dedicated ‘laird’s loft’, the church also houses a number of memorial plaques and items relating to the Swintons. These include a marvellous recessed effigy next to the pulpit of Alan Swinton, that dates to around 1200 (that was uncovered in 1910 after being walled up for centuries), a stained glass window, installed in 1924, and several other interesting artefacts located both inside and outside the building. Most of the other windows are made from leaded squares of reused coloured glass, some of it possibly quite old.

The historic kirk is thought to have been used as a place of refuge in the border raids in the era of the ‘Border Reivers‘ and during the Anglo-Scottish Wars. The bell in the belfry is believed to date from 1499 and is said to have been rung as a death knell after Scottish defeat at the battle of Flodden in 1513.

With the church threatened by closure during a nationwide rationalisation programme undertaken by its owners the Church of Scotland a local community group established itself with a view to taking ownership of the building. In December 2025, it was announced that the Scottish Land Fund had provided funding for the Swinton Community Hub (SCIO) to purchase the building and develop it as a community hub and arts and entertainments space to combat social isolation and provide accessible meeting facilities.

Services

11.15 am on the 1st and 5th Sundays of the month

Opening Arrangements

Open during daylight hours

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.