Old Parish Church Guide Book

A GUIDE TO
THE OLD PARISH
CHURCH
OF PEEBLES

A GUIDE TO
THE OLD PARISH
CHURCH
OF PEEBLES

The compilers of this guide owe a great debt to both
Dr Clement Gunn (1860-1935), a Peebles doctor, who wrote the
definitive history of the Parish Church from original records and the
Reverend David MacFarlane, minister of the church from 1970 – 1997, who
was the author of previous editions and also to Charles Carrol who was the
author of the present guide of which this is the second edition.
Photographs by
Alasdair R. C. MacFarlane
Text Revised and Edited by
Ronald W. Ireland
Printed and Produced by
Elmbank Print, Peebles
©Peebles Old Parish Church of Scotland
Scottish Charity No. SCO13316
September 2019

Contents
The Former Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Old Parish Church of Peebles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Entrance Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Stained Glass Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Interior of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Pulpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Lectern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Font-Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Church Organ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Chancel and the Choirstalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Choirstall Cushions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Paintings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Stained Glass Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Bells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The North Aisle Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Communion and Baptismal Silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Church Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Royal Burgh of Peebles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Former Churches
Though the present church was opened in 1887, the Parish Church of Peebles
has, through the centuries, occupied at least four previous buildings.
The first, dedicated to St. Mungo, was built 1500 years ago and had Kirk Lands
in excess of 100 acres. It was first written about in 1116 when it was listed in the
Inquest of the Elders of Cumbria. It was built within what is now the cemetery but
no trace remains.
The second church, on the same site as the first, was dedicated to St.Andrew by
Bishop Joceline of Glasgow in 1195 during the reign of William the Lion. It was
burned by the English in 1549 at the same time as the destruction of the Border
Abbeys. Only its tower now remains, along with a fragment of wall.
At the Reformation in 1560 the Parish Church moved to an existing church
building, known today as the Cross Kirk. The Church of the Holy Cross had been
founded by Alexander III in 1261. It is John of Fordun, writing in 1385, who tells
of its origin.
“On the ninth day of May 1261, in the thirteenth year of King Alexander, a stately
and venerable cross was found in Peebles…It is believed that it was hidden by
some of the faithful about the year of our Lord 296 while Maximian’s persecution
was raging throughout the land.”
After the cross was discovered, Peebles became a place of pilgrimage and the
King ordered the erection of a church on the spot. In 1473, James III founded
a monastery round it – the Monastery of the Order of Trinity Friars. It was this
church that became the Parish Church at the Reformation in 1560 and remained
so until 1783, when its ruinous condition made a move essential.
The Parish Church then moved to its present site on Castle Hill and was opened
in 1784 where it remained until its closure and demolition in 1885. The present
church on the same site was dedicated on 29th March, 1887.
4

The Old Parish Church of Peebles
The church is built in the 13th century Gothic style. Its architect, William
Young of London, was nothing if not catholic in his commissions, for he
also designed such contrasting
buildings as the Municipal Buildings
in Glasgow and what was the War
Office in Whitehall, London.
Today’s church, with its fine crown
spire, dominates the High Street and
it is from there that the crow-stepped
gable can be seen to full effect. The
building has a number of links with
previous buildings, including the
sculptured coat of arms of the Burgh
Praise Ye The Lord: Psalm 150
which is built into the east elevation
of the tower, while above this, is the clock taken from the earlier building. Higher
still, the ancient bells from two earlier buildings were re-caste into one great bell
which now hangs in the belfry of the present building.
5

The Entrance Screen
The entrance screen was gifted to the church in 1965 and is worked in oak,
wrought iron, bronze and engraved glass. The glass of the doors depicts the
four evangelists, Matthew and Mark to the left and Luke and John to the right. The
door handles are in the form of shepherds’ crooks.
The bronze work of the screen is a rich display
of Christian symbolism Those were the days
when artist and craftsmen aided the preacher
and sustained the Faith by the use of their
universal language. Thus a vocabulary of Christian symbolism was evolved and
it is much of that that is present here. A note explaining these symbols lies on
the vestibule table which was probably a refectory table from the Cross Kirk
Monastery and used by the Trinity Friars in the 16th century.
The Stained Glass Windows
T
he two modern windows on either side of the entrance door were gifted
in 1992 and 1993 and are the work of Crear McCartney. The theme of the
window on the north side is “God in Peebles”, while the one on the south side is
“God in Nature”.
6

The Interior of the Church
The photograph clearly illustrates
the spaciousness of the building.
The church can comfortably seat
1,200 people and it is interesting to
note that such a large and beautifully
constructed building was built for
£9,500 in 1885-7.
There are memorials to those
members of the Parish Church who
fell in both World Wars. The First
World War memorials are on either
side of the chancel walls while the
memorials to those who fell in the Second World War are on two large “signet
rings” on pillars on either side of the nave.
The Standards of the Peebles Branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland were
laid-up on the chancel pillars on 15th September 2019, following the closure of
the Branch, believed to have been formed in 1926 five years after the Royal British
Legion Scotland was established in 1921 to assist those returning from the horrors
of the First World War. Following the Second World War and National Service
until the 1960s, branch membership peaked at around 400 in the 1990s, with a
commensurate level of activity providing welfare and comradeship for the exservice
community and remembrance of the armed forces’ service to the nation.
The flags hanging high near the roof of the nave are the Colours of the Peeblesshire
Militia, raised after 1801, during the Napoleonic Wars. It was disbanded in 1816
after Waterloo. Mungo Park, a local doctor and West African explorer was a
member of this militia.
All of the twenty-six stained glass lancet windows in the north aisle, south aisle
and at the west ends of the south and north galleries, are the work of Cottier of
London and were installed between 1886 and 1914. The long west window in the
chancel is a reproduction of a window in a Nuremberg Church. It is also the work
of Cottier and the Life of Christ is the theme of the whole window. At the western
end of the nave, high above, is the Rose Window, also by Cottier.
7

The Pulpit
The pulpit was gifted to the church and dedicated in 1913. It was designed by a
Glasgow architect, P. McGregor Chalmers and carved by another Glaswegian,
John Crawford, out of Austrian oak.
Three sections of Crawford’s carving are particularly interesting. Firstly, at the foot
of the banister rail are two figures depicting the two essential acts of worship –
praise and prayer. Secondly, four representations of Jesus appear round the middle
of the pulpit: to the front, He is shown as the Good Shepherd and the Sower; and
Praise
Prayer
at the back, He is seen as a fisherman and the Wise Master Builder. Thirdly, just
above the carvings of the heads of Christ, hidden among the small carvings of
flowers and fruit, are four small carvings of a crown of thorns and “signature”
carvings of a mouse, a fox and a pelican.
Finally in the circle of carvings at the foot of the pulpit at the back, is a shamrock,
an early Christian symbol for the Trinity.
8

The Lectern
The lectern was gifted to the
Church in 1887, to mark the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
During services, the Bible is placed
on the outstretched wings of the
eagle, which, soaring higher than
other birds, is symbolic of the
movement of people’s thoughts
heavenward.
The Font-Table
This was commissioned by the Kirk Session
to celebrate the new millennium and was
dedicated on Advent Sunday 1998. It is the work of
Denys Mitchell of Kelso.
Cradled beneath the table is what is considered part
of a pre-reformation font, probably its pedestal. It
is beautifully carved round the side with what are
elongated lancet windows. For baptisms, the bronze
plate is removed from the glass table top and the
silver basin inserted instead with the laver beside it.
During Advent, a candle stand of forged iron and bronze is placed on top. Its detail
matches that of the stone. This blending of the ancient and modern is symbolic of
the continuity of Christian worship in Peebles over the centuries.
The Church Organ
The organ in the Old Parish Church of Peebles was built and installed by
Auguste Gern, the foreman of Cavaillé-Coll of Paris in 1887 and was a
3-manual instrument, sited in the chancel.
9

In 1937, the instrument was rebuilt, reduced to 2-manuals by Henry Willis of
London and moved to the present chamber with the console still in the chancel.
In 1972, the organ was rebuilt by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool, who
retained the chamber; such tonal changes as were made, were incorporated in the
modified Willis console still in the chancel.
In 1989, the organ, then in the care of R.C.Goldsmith Ltd, was restored to
3-manuals, a new choir organ being built by him and installed in the south gallery
while a new 3-manual console was also provided and placed on the pavement
directly underneath the choir organ.
In 2002 the organ was overhauled by J.R.Lightoller, organ builder. At the same
time some tonal improvements were carried out to the existing pipework and the
organ extended by the addition of two further stops, namely a pedal trombone
and a swell celeste. This enhancement of the organ was carried out as a memorial
to the late Iain Cruickshanks who was organist and choirmaster over a period of
35 years. At present the organ is now a fine instrument with a comprehensive tonal
range.
The Chancel and the Choirstalls
Within the chancel, the communion table, chair and prayer desks, together
with the chair and kneeler tapestries, were all gifted to the Church. Also
gifted, was the wooden cross which forms a focal
point within the chancel. When the chancel
is lit, the cross casts two shadows, reminding
everyone of the three crosses that stood on
Calvary’s Hill.
The chancel was re-arranged within a fabric
scheme to celebrate the centenary of the
present building on 24th March, 1987. It was
the generosity of two other members of the
congregation which made this re-arrangement
possible, along with the provision of new
choirstalls which brought the organist and choir
out of the chancel and into the body of the kirk.
10

The Choirstall Cushions
The Choirstall Cushions were crafted by
a small group of dedicated local women
who spent two years working on the project.
There are six cushions, each measuring 373
cms. long and each with seven places to
correspond with the seven panels on the back
of the stalls, making forty-two places in all.
The design, which is original,
is composed of a stave with the
treble clef, the opening phrase
of a psalm being stitched on
the stave. Each place shows a
different psalm.
The design is enclosed in a frame, shaded
from brown to gold and the name of the
psalm is stitched below, while a Christian
symbol is shown above the stave. These
symbols echo those to be seen on the copper
screens at the entrance to the church.
There is a white background
within the frame and the
remainder of the cushion is sky
blue. Inscribed on the back of
the cushions is the date sewing
commenced, 13.10.94; the date
the sewing was completed,
30.11.96 and the initials of the
needlewomen.
11

The Paintings
The paintings within the church are the work
of the professional hand of the Reverend
Roland Porchmouth, a minister of the Church
of Scotland and a former member of the
congregation.
The Ark and The Covenant: Genesis ch.9 v. 8-13
The series of twenty-two paintings hang both in
the gallery and downstairs. In the artist’s own
words, “The paintings illustrate a few familiar
incidents from the Old Testament, following the
broad sweep of the story from its commencing
pages in Genesis to a point where the view
opens out on to a world in which Christ has
appeared.”
The artist generously gifted these paintings to
the Church.
And the Lord said to Moses ‘Write thou these
words’ ... : Exodus ch.34 v. 27-29
Nec Tamen Consumebator: Exodus ch.3 v. 1-6
Abraham and the Sacrifice of Isaac: Genesis ch.22 v.1,2,9-13
12

Stained Glass Artists
Daniel Cottier, whose studio produced all of the nineteenth and early twentieth
century stained glass windows in the church, has an interesting background.
In spite of the French sounding name, he was born near Anderson Cross in
Glasgow in 1838. He served his apprenticeship there before moving to Edinburgh
and later London.
His lancet window designs in Peebles Old show that he was greatly influenced by
the Pre-Raphaelites of the mid to late
19th. century. He flourished and later
still, spread his influence as far as New
York and Australia.
A further account of Cottier and his work
can be found in book entitled Scotland’s
Stained Glass – Making the Colours Sing
by Michael Donnelly and published by
Mercat Press.
Cottier windows
Crear McCartney who created the two modern stained glass windows in the
entrance was born in Symington, Lanarkshire in 1931. He gained the Diploma
in Design (Stained Glass) at Glasgow School of Art, which he attended from 1950
to 1955. He was the manager of the Stained Glass Studio at Pluscarden Abbey
from1955 to 1960. Following a spell as a teacher of art, he became a freelance artist
in stained glass in 1988.
He had many major commissions
throughout Scotland, including the west
window of St. Magnus Cathedral, Orkney,
which celebrates the 850th anniversary of
that building. The RAF memorial window
at St. Eval, Cornwall, was also designed by
him.
Crear McCartney Windows
13

The Bells
feature of Peebles, much commented upon by visitors, is the ringing of the
A bells of the Parish Church.
Of the two bells that originally hung in the Old Parish Church of St Andrew of
1195, one was taken to the Cross Kirk in 1562 and the other was sold by the Town
Council in 1564.
When the next parish church was erected in 1784 on the present site, a new bell
was hung. In 1885 when the current church building was established, that bell,
along with the one from the Cross Kirk was recast into one great bell and set in the
tower.
Negotiations begun in 1931 culminated in the provision in 1947 of a set of thirteen
bells at a cost of £2,000. These were gifted by a member of the congregation, in
memory of his wife. The tenor bell carries an inscription to this effect.
The bells, which were cast at the
famous foundry of Messrs. John
Taylor and Co. of Loughborough, are
hung “dead” or stationary and form a
carillon played on a type of keyboard.
The largest tenor bell weighs 1.55
tonnes and is used to strike the hours
and for tolling, the others being
struck for the quarters of the clock.
Church elder William R.B.Whitie
played hymn and psalm tunes before
each service from 1947 until his
death in 1988 and since then, the
tradition has been continued by a
small group which includes members
from other churches in Peebles. The
bells are also played on Beltane
Saturday morning and on request
when a resident of the Royal Burgh
achieves the age of 100 years.
14

The North Aisle Chapel
The north aisle contains a
side chapel suitable for
the conduct of services by
smaller groups and a screen
was raised in memory of the
Reverend James Hamilton,
the minister of the Parish
from1952 to 1969. It is this
screen that tells something of
the history of the Parish
Church.
The Communion and Baptismal Silver
The church silver has all been
donated. There are two sets of
chalices, the older set dating from 1684.
The later set of chalices dates from1895.
Like the four patens and two flagons
gifted at the same time, they are made
from Scottish silver from the mines at
Wanlockhead in the 17th century style
and match the cups of that century.
Nine inches high, they weigh eighteen
ounces each.
The baptismal Silver consists of two
pieces, a laver and a basin and both bear
the coat of arms of the donor. The
inscription reads, “This laver and basin
was gifted by William, Earle of March,
to the Kirk of Peebles in 1702.”
15

The Church Centre
Behind the church, the centre was opened in 1982. It contains two halls seating
220 and 30 people respectively. There are also modern kitchen facilities and
toilets. It is not only a focus of congregational activity but is used increasingly by
many other groups within the community. This centre was officially named the
MacFarlane Hall, after the Reverend David C. MacFarlane, minister of Peebles Old
from 1970 until his retirement in 1997.
The MacFarlane Hall
16

The Royal Burgh of Peebles
Peebles can lay claim to being one of the original Royal Burghs of Scotland, its
status established during the reign of David I in the 12th century, yet its origins
go back far earlier than that, to at least Roman times.
The name “Peebles” derives from the Welsh word, “pebyll”. The people who
occupied Tweeddale at that time shared a common language known as Cumbric
with the inhabitants of much of the land south of the Scottish Lowlands and as far
south as Wales. The word means a tent or tents. This is quite consistent with what
is known of the area at the time of the earliest Roman occupation, as the Romans
usually established bases close to existing settlements.
In later centuries, Peebles became a favourite stopping
place of the Stewart kings, who frequently visited the
Royal Burgh to dispense justice and to hunt in the great
Forest of Ettrick close to the town. The phrase “Peebles
to the play” has been attributed to James I, and appears
in his poem “Christis Kirk of the Greene”:
“Wes nevir in Scotland hard or seen
Sic dancing nor deray
Nouthir at Falkland on the grene
Nor Pebillis at the play.”
Following the Union of the Crowns and the departure
of James VI & I to London, the town fell into gradual
decline until recovering during the industrial revolution
of the Victorian era, largely stimulated by the arrival of
the railway. The textile industries which dominated the
town in the later 19th and for most of the 20th centuries, have gone, but these have
been replaced by modern service industries and tourism is an important feature of
the economy. It has also become a favourite base for commuters to Edinburgh and
the Eastern Borders.
Today the Old Parish Church of Peebles still plays a prominent part in the civic life
of the Royal Burgh. The annual ceremony of crowning the Beltane Queen takes
place on the steps and the Guildry Corporation of Peebles attends an annual
service in the church.
17