Kincardine Church final service evokes fond childhood memories of parties, picnics and prize-givings
The last service at Kincardine Church brought back many fond memories for writer Lily Byron, whose link with the building dates back to childhood. Here she recollects playing on the steps of the church, helping to spring clean the building and Sunday School picnics, parties and prize-givings.
The final service in Kincardine West Church. This was an event I didn’t want to miss!
Although I've been living in Rosehall since 1975, I have very fond memories of this church. Everyone in the congregation last Sunday would have had their reasons for attending. Mine was pure nostalgia!
As my granddaughter and I approached the front door, she exclaimed in horror at the huge pylon right in front of it.
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I told her that, as children, we were very excited about it when it was being built. We used to climb on it before it was connected. It was our Eiffel Tower!
We lived in the Old School, next door to the church, and it only took us a few minutes to run past the two gardens, through the bushes, and climb through the fence to get there. Sometimes, in the summer evenings, we would play on the steps there.
We attended church and Sunday school there, as did most of our friends.
On the wall on the right- hand side of the church, there is still the memorial plaque to Rev Kenneth MacLeod, whose signature is on my birth certificate. "This child was baptised by me..." In fact, he baptised all four of us.
My clearest memories are of Rev and Mrs MacDougall who were there during most of my childhood.
I loved Mrs MacDougall, who taught us in Sunday School. They used to run wonderful Christmas parties in the manse or in the school, and the Sunday School picnic was the highlight of the year.
The children from Culrain and Achnahannet joined us for those unforgettable days out. All the Sunday School teachers were there to accompany us on the double decker bus to Dornoch or Tarbat Ness lighthouse (maybe that was just once).
I still get that feeling of excitement when I glimpse the sea when approaching Dornoch or any seaside town.
Our family was privileged to have access to the building because my sister Frances and I used to help our neighbours, Mrs Fraser and Jock, to spring clean the building once a year.
We thought it was great fun to take out the little umbrella-stand boxes and wash them outside in a tin bath, then turn them upside down on the grass to dry.
Once the wooden floor was swept, we crawled under the pews to scrub it. I checked under our pew last Sunday, and it was still a bare wooden floor!
When the Frasers retired from the job, our father became the "church officer". He had to light the fire in the boiler in a little "lean-to" at the back of the church every Saturday and stoke it up before bedtime.
We helped with the dusting. and that was why I had a key to the church the day I invited my friend Scott MacRae in to help.
We were both having piano lessons from Miss Brown at the time and couldn't resist having a go on the organ. I think I was dusting the pulpit when suddenly Scott started playing "The Barnyards of Delgaty!"
Golly! What would happen? Would God suddenly appear and condemn us to hell-fire? We were both terrified and waited for quite a while to see if we would be punished - but nothing happened!
Religious education played a big part in our lives then, both in school and at church. I loved the Bible stories we listened to and the prize books we got just before the summers.
I think the Good Samaritan was my favourite, but I was also very impressed by the passage in which Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven!" He was on our side and wouldn't have made us go outside to play, like auntie did when important visitors arrived.
I'm glad I went last Sunday. Possibly my mind wandered a bit during the sermon as I remembered where people I knew used to sit!
I was also thinking of the time Jean Grant and I sang two duets at the "Daffodil Tea" one April. "All in the April Evening" and "There Is a Lady, Sweet and Kind".
Thank you, Kincardine West, for all you have given me!
