St Serf’s Church to reopen to visitors

St Serf’s Church will reopen for the season today (Friday 26 May), with visitors once again being able to explore the beautiful church and the 3-meter-high freestanding cross, the only surviving cross of this kind in East Scotland. 

St Serf’s Church is a former parish church, some elements of which are over 800 years old. It features rare survivals of medieval stone-carver’s art. Its layout also shows how the Reformation of 1560 changed the practice of worship, as a new aisle was added to make it a fine example of a post-Reformation kirk. 

Since 2002, the Church has also hosted the Dupplin Cross, an extremely rare and impressive Pictish carving from the early 800s. The cross has a Latin inscription and intricate Pictish sculpture of contemporary royals of the time, and is a prime example of collaboration and trade between the kingdoms of the Picts, Scots and Northumbria. 

While St Serf’s Church has been open for pre-planned visits by groups since last year, the Church has been restricted for general access due to water ingress damaging the site facilities as well as masonry conservation works. These repair works have now taken place and the site will be open for general visits once more. 

Craig Mearns, Director for Operations at HES, said: 

"St Serf’s Church and the Dupplin Cross are both fantastic heritage assets, and we are delighted that visitors will be able to come see them once more. 

“It’s not often you can visit a site and learn about such a wide span of Scottish history, from the early kingdoms of the 800s to the Reformation of 1560, and now that the facilities at St Serf’s Church have been repaired, we look forward to sharing this history with our audience.” 

St Serf’s Church will be open from 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed for lunch 12.30pm – 1.30pm; last entry 5pm) from today, Friday 26 May. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday in May and June (except 31 May), and open 7 days a week from July. More information can be found online.

We're the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We are at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future. Across Scotland, we investigate and record architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes and care for more than 300 properties of national importance. HES is also working with sector partners to deliver Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.

Historic Scotland, trove.scot, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Stòr are sub-brands of HES.

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