Balmerino Parish Church

About

Balmerino Parish Church is a Church of Scotland parish church in Bottomcraig, Fife, Scotland. The church sits in the centre of the small village where it was built in 1811. It is situated across the road from the accompanying manse constructed in 1816.

History: Before the construction of the church, numerous churches were used in the parish. The immediate predecessor was a church constructed in Kirkton around the beginning of the 17th century: according to one source in 1595 and in 1611 according to another. This church was used by the parishioners until the construction of the current church in 1811.

During the construction of the church, the parishioners attended the church in Kilmany where services were alternated weekly between the two ministers. Thomas Chalmers, minister of Kilmany, preached one week and Andrew Thompson, minister of Balmerino, preached the other.

Construction and original layout: The church was constructed in 1811 with a capacity of 400 people. The ground it was built on was then a moor. Larch trees were planted around it. The original layout differed greatly from the present layout. The pulpit was built in the middle of the south wall. In front of the...