Thurso, Wilson Lane, Old St Peter's Church And Burial-ground

Old St Peter’s Church stands as a ruined parish kirk on Wilson Lane in Thurso, Caithness, beside the River Thurso. The building dates back to at least 1125 and once served as the principal church for the county under the Bishops of Caithness. It became a scheduled monument in 1929 and held Category A listed status from 1975 until 2016. The church is cruciform in shape and built in the pointed style using local rubble stone. A 1726 record mentions a session house used by the sheriff and magistrates for a court and prison. The structure now lacks a roof and stands roofless on the left bank of the river near the seafront. The church is worth visiting for its long history and links to notable figures. It was one of six churches reserved by Bishop Gilbert in the charter, and later served under vicars such as Sir John Mathesoun and Master John Craig. Ministers like Alexander Urquhart and John Davidsoun are recorded here in the 16th century. In 1641, Alexander Monro received a grant from King Charles I to support his stipend from Thurso’s bishopric rents. The church was abandoned in 1832 when St Andrew’s and St Peter’s replaced it, designed by William Burn in Gothic style. Its scheduled monument status reflects its national importance. Visitors find the roofless ruins enclosed behind a rubble-slab wall. The east end still shows the session house that once doubled as a courtroom. The churchyard holds gravestones, some toppled and smashed in 2013. The site lies close to the river and the town’s seafront, offering a quiet place to view the remains. The pointed windows and cruciform plan remain visible despite the loss of the roof. The burial ground’s history includes complaints from 1786 about rubbish dumped on graves. The setting provides a view of the river and a sense of the church’s past role in the community.