Historic ‘At Risk’ Church Saved for the Nation
24 June 2013
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The transfer of ownership will trigger the development of a major £1.3 million project to restore the building and transform it into a cultural hub and a unique venue for traditional music.
The Category A listed St Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Braemar has been on the Buildings at Risk Register since 2003 and was last used by the congregation in 1997. The church is derelict and in poor condition but in its late Victorian heyday was celebrated for its architecture and filled every Sunday with hundreds of worshippers who flocked to fashionable Royal Deeside during the summer months.
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The SRCT’s agreement to take ownership of St Margaret’s comes after the completion of a report into the feasibility of transforming the church into an arts hub and performance venue, and following a series of highly successful musical events held in the church. The most recent of these, a concert held in January and attended by over 200 people including HRH The Duke of Rothesay, featured locals and school children performing alongside musicians of international repute. Paul Anderson, one of the most respected exponents of the Scots Fiddle tradition and who played at the concert , has been credited with revealing the hidden potential of the building’s extraordinary acoustics during an earlier visit to St Margaret’s.
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SRCT’s Executive Director, Victoria Collison-Owen said:
“it is brilliant that we are saving a beautiful building and an important part of our heritage, but this project will also deliver so much more for Braemar and for visitors to the Cairngorms National Park. The activities we are planning will naturally flow out from St Margaret’s, encouraging many more creative developments around the village and helping to make Braemar a really vibrant and exciting place to be. The combination of high quality cultural events taking place in a stunning natural environment makes this an incredibly exciting project.”
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Grant Moir, Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority agrees: “The Cairngorms National Park Authority is delighted to support this important project. We see the restoration of historic properties such as St Margaret’s Church, which stand as focal points in the heart of the community, as great places to invest in facilities which are vital to the success of those communities”.
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Already, a programme of events at St Margaret’s is being planned, including a performance by the Dutch Youth Orchestra in August as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. Although the condition of the building is poor the SRCT believes that allowing people to use and enjoy it is the key to success. Mrs Collison-Owen said: “admittedly it is not the most luxurious venue at present but whatever it lacks in terms of comfort it more than makes up for in atmosphere and character. St Margaret’s is a stunning and inspiring space that really comes alive through music and performance.”
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Find out more about St Margarets and other SRCT churches on www.srct.org.uk
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Support the work of the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust in looking after historic buildings like the East Church. more »“Being able to look at a building in this detail is a real privilege. It is fascinating not only to study the building fabric and try and work out some of the stages in the church’s development, but also to look at the archaeology within the church.”
Benny Malone, Highland Archaeology Services