Latest news with #SunsetSong
STV News
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Locals campaign to save historic church featured in Scottish literary classic
A campaign has been launched to save a historic church featured in one of Scotland's most famous novels from being sold. Arbuthnott Church in Aberdeenshire, part of the inspiration for Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Sunset Song. Known as Kinraddie Church in Lewis Grassic Gibbon's 1932 novel, the kirk will close its doors at the end of the year. It is one of over 100 buildings the Church of Scotland is selling in a bid to cut costs. Sunset Song, part of the Scots Quair trilogy, follows the life of young Chris Guthrie as she grows up in a farming family during a time of great social change. The church is a significant location in the heartbreaking story. Local resident Morna Laing told STV News: 'I was stunned, actually. Why would they get rid of such a building? 'It's ancient, pre-Reformation, and one of the few still holding services. It means a lot to people around here. I bring all my visitors down here to see it because it's so special to the locals.' STV News Arbuthnott Church is among 100 churches up for sale Arbuthnott's congregation is determined to raise the funds to buy the building from the Church of Scotland. Nicola Watson, who runs the Lewis Grassic Gibbon Centre, said they hope to turn it into a cultural venue. 'Gibbon wrote a lot about the strength of rural communities and about people being custodians of the land, and I think that feeling still exists here in Arbuthnott. Now that the church is being sold, the community feels it must stand up and ensure the right thing is done for future generations.' Charles Roberts-McIntosh of the Arbuthnott Community Development Group added: 'The Church of Scotland has done a valuation, and we're waiting for their feedback. We hope it won't be a huge amount. We want people to visit. I wouldn't say a pilgrimage to Sunset Song, but if that's what it takes, that's what we'll do.' 'It's a stunning little church in a stunning location. It should be saved for its history and for the Lewis Grassic Gibbon connection,' he said. The local community has commissioned a feasibility study in the hope of keeping the building in use. 'It doesn't bear thinking about that it might not be here,' added Morna. 'Everyone wants it to stay. No one wants to see it fall out of use.' A Church of Scotland spokesperson said the Church has 'identified a need for radical change' against a backdrop of falling minister numbers, a decline in membership and a reduction in income both nationally and locally.' In response, the 2021 General Assembly instructed Presbyteries to develop mission plans by the end of 2022. While no dates have been set, it's hoped Arbuthnott Church will be released by the end of 2025. 'We recognise that Arbuthnott Church, as with many other church buildings across the country, is important and valuable to the local community,' he said. STV News Historic church which features in Sunset Song up for sale 'However, our mission plans take into consideration what is best for the whole of the Presbytery area, making the best use of our resources, both human and financial, and ensuring they are best placed to continuing our mission of sharing the good news of Jesus and serving our communities.'The General Trustees of the Church of Scotland, who own the building, are in discussions with a local community-based charity who are seeking to acquire the building and see it remain available for the community. 'The congregation of Arbuthnott, Bervie and Kinneff Parish Church currently worships at both Arbuthnott Church and Bervie Church. 'Once Arbuthnott Church is released, Bervie Church will serve as the main place of worship, as it is a well-equipped space in the right place for the community. 'The Kirk Session remains committed to serving, in Jesus' name, the people and community of Arbuthnott, even after the church building is sold.' He added: 'The Kirk Session is in the process of deciding what worship may look like in the community of Arbuthnott, including hopefully hiring the church building from the new community trust for special services around important times like Easter, Harvest and Watchnight on Christmas Eve.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
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Scotsman
30-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Three ancient stone circles go on market — including one of Scotland's finest
The ancient Bronze Age sites in Aberdeenshire are looking for a new owner. Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ancient, mysterious and revered, the stone circles of Scotland's deep past are not something you expect to come across in an estate agent's brochure. But now, not one, but three Bronze Age stone circles have gone up for sale in Aberdeenshire - including one of the country's finest. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Easter Aquhorthies stone circle near Inverurie is one of the finest examples of its kind. It is now on the market as part of a sale of farmland. Picture: Aberdeenshire Council. | Aberdeenshire Council The scheduled monuments are included in sales of farmland across the area, with the archaeologist for the region describing the three listings as 'remarkable' and a 'rare chance' to acquire a piece of Scotland's pre-history. Among the sales are Easter Aquhorthies near Inverurie, a recumbent stone circle that dates to around 4,000BC. Probably used as a cremation and memorial site, the location has been described as one of the best preserved of its kind. The scheduled monument sits between two fields, which are part of six being sold for a combined price of £530,000 or as two separate lots. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: Campaign to save Sunset Song church in heart of rural community that inspired Lewis Grassic Gibbon Archaeologist Bruce Mann, senior historic environment officer at Aberdeenshire Council, said the name of Aquhorthies hinted at the site's past use and derived from the Gaelic word meaning 'field of prayer'. He said: 'Easter Aquhorthies is one of the best-preserved recumbent stone-circles in the region and, as such, is incredibly important.' Mr Mann added: 'The fact that we have three stone circles for sale at the same time is remarkable as they rarely change hands, being often part of a wider farm or estate. The sales, especially that of Easter Aquhorthies, offers a rare chance for someone to purchase an important example of North East Scotland's prehistory. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Owing such a site, with its national designation as a scheduled monument, means careful management on behalf of the nation. The new owners will need to expect that people will continue to visit the stone circles, and that as owners they are custodians of part of our regional identity. 'They will also need to carefully consider what they will be able to do with the surrounding land, as the setting of these stone circles, within the land that is being sold, will need to be maintained.' Also for sale is the stone circle and ring cairn of Little Eslie near Banchory, which is being sold as part of 10.5 acres of land suitable for grazing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The circle is part of an important landscape during the Bronze Age period, with the Nine Stanes and Greater Eslie stone circles found nearby. South Ythsie, near Tarves, completes the stone circle sales. Made up of six upright stones, with the tallest measuring 2.4m high, the monument sits in 151 acres or arable and pastureland, which is being sold for a combined total of £740,000. Mr Mann advised that anyone buying the sites should seek advice both from local authority planners and from Historic Environment Scotland. James Presley, of Aberdeen and Northern Estates, who is handling the sales, said: 'We do have lots of stone circles in Aberdeenshire, but to be selling three properties at once, all which have stone circles, is rare.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said there had been 'strong interest' in the three separate land sales, but mainly from those interested in the farmland. 'There probably have been a few inquiries regarding the stone circles,' he said.
The National
26-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Historic Scottish church featured in novel could be saved by locals
The Church of Scotland is selling Arbuthnott Church in Kincardineshire in an effort to plug a £5.9 million deficit. The church was the inspiration for the setting of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Sunset Song and it is also where the author is buried. Lewis Grassic Gibbon The Church of Scotland said it recognised that the building – the oldest section of which dates back to the late 1200s – as "important and valuable", but that it needed a "significant reduction" in the number of properties it owns. The Arbuthnott Community Development Group is looking to purchase the building and preserve its cultural legacy, while it could also be used as a local hub for events such as concerts. Charles Roberts-McIntosh, chairman of the group, told the BBC that he is determined the building and Gibbon's legacy are protected. READ MORE: Hillwalker dies while climbing mountain in King's Balmoral Estate He said: "We will look to raise money or apply for funds. "People are still interested in this history and rural life - and tourists love Scottish culture. "The value culturally is incalculable. Sunset Song endures because it is a wonderful piece of literature." Alan Riach, National contributor and professor of Scottish literature at the University of Glasgow, said he was "appalled" at the news of the church's closure. He told the BBC: "This is one of the great places of pilgrimage in literary Scotland. "It's not only fixed forever in our cultural history as an essential co-ordinate point in the biography of one of our greatest writers, but it's also a key reference point in his greatest novel." Sunset Song was written in 1932 by Grassic Gibbon, the pen name of James Leslie Mitchell, and is the first novel in the trilogy A Scots Quair. It follows the story of a young woman growing up before and during the First World War and draws on the themes of class, war, religion and female emancipation. READ MORE: The life and death of Scottish author Lewis Grassic Gibbon The kirk, named Kinraddie Church in the novel, is a significant location in the story. Grassic Gibbon is buried in the graveyard, and the inscription on his headstone reads: "for I will give you the morning star'. There is also a sculpture inside the church of the great knight of yesteryear, which features at the start of Sunset Song. A statement from the Church of Scotland said: "We believe a significant reduction in the number of buildings we own is necessary in order to deliver sustainable and realistic new expressions of ministry and church and to ensure all of our buildings are suitable for the needs of mission in the 21st century. "As part of the process, the local presbytery has taken the decision to release Arbuthnott Church. "There are no set dates as yet, but under the current mission plan, Arbuthnott Church would be released by the end of 2025."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Our church inspired Sunset Song - we want to save it
A historic church that played a central role in one of Scotland's most-loved novels is being put up for sale to plug a gap in Church of Scotland's finances and locals are determined to save it. Arbuthnott Church, nestled in the beautiful countryside of Kincardineshire, was the inspiration for the setting of Sunset Song and the remains of its author, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, are buried in its graveyard. The Church of Scotland recognises the building - the oldest section of which dates back to the late 1200s - as "important and valuable", but says it needs a "significant reduction" in the properties it owns. Charles Roberts-McIntosh, chairman of the Arbuthnott Community Development Group, said he is determined that the building and Grassic Gibbon's cultural legacy are preserved. "We will look to raise money or apply for funds," Mr Roberts-McIntosh said. "People are still interested in this history and rural life - and tourists love Scottish culture. "The value culturally is incalculable. Sunset Song endures because it is a wonderful piece of literature." Sunset Song was written in 1932 by Grassic Gibbon, the pen name of James Leslie Mitchell. It was the first book in the trilogy - A Scots Quair - telling the story of Chris Guthrie, a young woman who lives and works on her family farm in the Mearns, the farming areas south of Aberdeen. The novel is set on the fictional estate of Kinraddie which Grassic Gibbon based on Arbuthnott, where he lived as a child and where his ashes were buried after his death at the age of 33 in 1935. The story told by the trilogy begins just before World War One and follows Chris from the countryside of her childhood to a big city, touching on class, war, religion and female emancipation. In 1971, a six-episode television adaptation of the novel was the first colour drama made by BBC Scotland and was greeted with huge acclaim. It was credited with reigniting interest in Grassic Gibbon, and Sunset Song was put on the Higher English syllabus. In 2016, it was voted Scotland's favourite book in a BBC poll, ahead of the Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and Lanark by Alasdair Gray. In an introduction to the novel, published in 2020, the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote of her love for the book, which she said is her favourite novel. Alan Riach, professor of Scottish literature at the University of Glasgow, told the BBC he was "appalled" at news of the imminent closure of Arbuthnott Church. "This is one of the great places of pilgrimage in literary Scotland," he said. "It's not only fixed forever in our cultural history as an essential co-ordinate point in the biography of one of our greatest writers, but it's also a key reference point in his greatest novel." Scott Lyall, an associate professor of Modern and Scottish Literature at Edinburgh Napier University, described the church as a site of "genuine importance to Scotland's literary heritage". Prof Lyall said: "The minister at the end of Sunset Song, in tribute to the local fallen war dead of World War One, indicates that we must remember the past and the dead to better understand our present condition and build a better future. "It would be a sad irony then if the church, with its own long history, were to be neglected. "It would be wonderful to see it as a cultural heritage site with Gibbon's life and reputation at its centre." The Church of Scotland said it expected the main church building would go up for sale later this year. Its congregation for Sunday services is small, in what is a quiet rural area of just a few hundred people. The kirk hopes nearby Bervie Church will serve as the main focus of local worship. The Church of Scotland said that, in recent years, it had identified a need for "radical change against a backdrop of falling minister numbers, a decline in membership and a reduction in income". A statement said: "We believe a significant reduction in the number of buildings we own is necessary in order to deliver sustainable and realistic new expressions of ministry and church and to ensure all of our buildings are suitable for the needs of mission in the 21st century. "As part of the process, the local presbytery has taken the decision to release Arbuthnott Church." The statement added: "There are no set dates as yet, but under the current mission plan, Arbuthnott Church would be released by the end of 2025." Mr Roberts-McIntosh said the local community was determined to save a building that was so intrinsic to one of Scotland's most-loved novels. As well as honouring the author, it is thought the building could also become a local hub for events such as concerts, aided by the acoustics of the church building. Mr Roberts-McIntosh said the the building itself was "fundamentally sound". "It just needs some tender loving care," he said. Sunset Song: Enduring appeal of a Scottish classic Sunset Song 'is Scotland's favourite book' Sunset Song set for December release
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sunset Song: We will save the church that inspired Grassic Gibbon
A historic church that played a central role in one of Scotland's most-loved novels is being put up for sale to plug a gap in Church of Scotland's finances and locals are determined to save Church, nestled in the beautiful countryside of Kincardineshire, was the inspiration for the setting of Sunset Song and the remains of its author, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, are buried in its Church of Scotland recognises the building - the oldest section of which dates back to the late 1200s - as "important and valuable", but says it needs a "significant reduction" in the properties it Roberts-McIntosh, chairman of the Arbuthnott Community Development Group, said he is determined that the building and Grassic Gibbon's cultural legacy are preserved. "We will look to raise money or apply for funds," Mr Roberts-McIntosh said."People are still interested in this history and rural life - and tourists love Scottish culture."The value culturally is incalculable. Sunset Song endures because it is a wonderful piece of literature." Sunset Song was written in 1932 by Grassic Gibbon, the pen name of James Leslie was the first book in the trilogy - A Scots Quair - telling the story of Chris Guthrie, a young woman who lives and works on her family farm in the Mearns, the farming areas south of novel is set on the fictional estate of Kinraddie which Grassic Gibbon based on Arbuthnott, where he lived as a child and where his ashes were buried after his death at the age of 33 in story told by the trilogy begins just before World War One and follows Chris from the countryside of her childhood to a big city, touching on class, war, religion and female emancipation. In 1971, a six-episode television adaptation of the novel was the first colour drama made by BBC Scotland and was greeted with huge was credited with reigniting interest in Grassic Gibbon, and Sunset Song was put on the Higher English syllabus. In 2016, it was voted Scotland's favourite book in a BBC poll, ahead of the Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and Lanark by Alasdair an introduction to the novel, published in 2020, the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote of her love for the book, which she said is her favourite novel. Alan Riach, professor of Scottish literature at the University of Glasgow, told the BBC he was "appalled" at news of the imminent closure of Arbuthnott Church."This is one of the great places of pilgrimage in literary Scotland," he said."It's not only fixed forever in our cultural history as an essential co-ordinate point in the biography of one of our greatest writers, but it's also a key reference point in his greatest novel." Scott Lyall, an associate professor of Modern and Scottish Literature at Edinburgh Napier University, described the church as a site of "genuine importance to Scotland's literary heritage".Prof Lyall said: "The minister at the end of Sunset Song, in tribute to the local fallen war dead of World War One, indicates that we must remember the past and the dead to better understand our present condition and build a better future."It would be a sad irony then if the church, with its own long history, were to be neglected. "It would be wonderful to see it as a cultural heritage site with Gibbon's life and reputation at its centre." The Church of Scotland said it expected the main church building would go up for sale later this congregation for Sunday services is small, in what is a quiet rural area of just a few hundred kirk hopes nearby Bervie Church will serve as the main focus of local worship. The Church of Scotland said that, in recent years, it had identified a need for "radical change against a backdrop of falling minister numbers, a decline in membership and a reduction in income".A statement said: "We believe a significant reduction in the number of buildings we own is necessary in order to deliver sustainable and realistic new expressions of ministry and church and to ensure all of our buildings are suitable for the needs of mission in the 21st century."As part of the process, the local presbytery has taken the decision to release Arbuthnott Church."The statement added: "There are no set dates as yet, but under the current mission plan, Arbuthnott Church would be released by the end of 2025." Mr Roberts-McIntosh said the local community was determined to save a building that was so intrinsic to one of Scotland's most-loved well as honouring the author, it is thought the building could also become a local hub for events such as concerts, aided by the acoustics of the church Roberts-McIntosh said the the building itself was "fundamentally sound"."It just needs some tender loving care," he said.
