Errol Parish Church

Errol Parish Church stands in the village of Errol, Perth and Kinross. It is a category A listed building, also known as the North Church or the Cathedral of the Carse. The site has been a place of worship since at least the 12th century, when Errol was recorded as a parish church. The medieval church served the Carse of Gowrie, land reclaimed from marshes. By the 17th century the old building and steeple were in poor repair. A new church was built on the same site in 1765 before being replaced again in 1833.

The church’s history includes notable figures and events. Gilbert Hay, lord of Errol, gained the right to nominate the parish minister in the 1330s. In 1830 a gallery collapse during a sermon caused panic and drew national press attention. The current building was designed by James Gillespie Graham and opened in 1833 on a site donated by John Lee Allen. The builder George Page charged only £3819 and later went bankrupt. The church’s clock was installed in 1902 in memory of Reverend Robert Graham, who served for 42 years.

Visitors find a well-preserved interior with later additions. The silver font from 1778 and the 1905 organ and communion table remain in use. Heating, gas lighting, a pulpit and chairs were added in 1915–16 through a bequest by Lady Ogilvie Dalgleish. Electricity was installed in 1934. The grounds include a graveyard from the earlier church and a Rose Garden dedicated in 2022 to those lost during the pandemic. The boundary walls and gate piers are also listed.