Falkirk Old Parish Church

Falkirk Old Parish Church stands in the centre of Falkirk, a town in central Scotland. The present building dates mainly from the early 19th century, though it preserves a tall 18th-century steeple designed by William Adam. The church occupies the site of an earlier medieval church, parts of which survive in the new structure. A session house was added on the south side in 1893 by Wardrop & Anderson. The church is protected as a category A listed building. The church’s history reaches back to at least the 7th century, when a small church known as the Faw Kirk was founded. King Malcolm Canmore is said to have established a church here in 1057. In 1166 the church passed to Holyrood Abbey, and by around 1450 it had taken a cruciform shape with a central tower. The tower was rebuilt between 1738 and 1741, and in 1810 the Court of Session ruled that it should remain while the rest of the medieval church was replaced. Inside, visitors find medieval carved stones including effigies of nobles and a 12th-century cross-head. The churchyard holds notable tombs such as those of Sir John de Graeme and Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll, both killed at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. Patrick Murehead of Rashyhill and Sir Robert Munro, 6th Baronet, are also buried there. The church merged with St Modan’s Parish Church in 1986 to form the present congregation.