Greyfriars Kirk

Greyfriars Kirk review 1 Users say 1/5 Rate it

On the site of a Franciscan friary, Greyfriars dates back to 1620. The west end of the church was reduced to ruins in 1718 after the local council's gunpowder store exploded; 127 years later, much of the kirk was then gutted by a fire. After recent renovations, both the exterior and the interior are impressive once more, with some sympathetic, traditional harling on the outer walls and elegantly sparse spaces within.

Worshippers from the Highland Tolbooth St John's (now the Hub) joined the Greyfriars congregation in 1979. Known as the Highland Kirk, St John's held services in Gaelic; alongside its regular services in English, Greyfriars now does the same each Sunday. The small visitors' exhibition on the church's 400-year history contains a display about the National Covenant, but most people go to see the portrait of Greyfriars Bobby, painted by John MacLeod in 1887. Check online for details of the regular musical recitals held here.