As 2022 has been designated Scotland's Year of Stories, we thought that we would share with you some 'stories' of Annan. This is one of a series of blogs of our ambles around the streets of Annan, looking for unusual sights, old shop signage, benchmarks etc.
🥾 Places of Worship - a walk around Annan's places of worship
- 1-2 km (approx 1m)
- 1-2 hours (approx)
- NOT a circular route.
- Click/tap on a photo to enlarge it and give you the pictures as a slideshow.
- Please take care near roads.
Background map downloaded from OS OpenData under 0pen Government License
Scottish
churches have suffered divisions and reunions many times over the years with probably
the biggest in 1534 when the Church of England broke away from the Pope and the
Roman Catholic Church. The churches in Annan have changed their names as these divisions
and unions occurred. We have had secession and baptist chapels, presbyterian, relief, free,
episcopalian and parish churches to name just a few. Here are a few details of
some of the churches, past and present, and we begin at the Town Hall.
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| 1859: Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland |
Annan built a church here in the 17th
century (hence the graveyard next to the council offices/town hall) to stand in
front of its Tolbooth but 1723 saw a thatched building erected to serve as
church, tolbooth and town hall putting the original church into disuse. The new
building grew, eventually having a slated roof and adding a tower and clock. However
the church within this building was eventually deserted and a new parish church,
on a new site, was completed in 1791. (see
later)
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| 1859: Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland |
Some buildings that were previously places of worship have now been repurposed. We head off to see an example of this in Greencroft Wynd but as you enter Greencroft Wynd note the guardstone at the corner with the High Street (on Nicholson's side), A guardstone is a projecting stone placed to prevent damage by wheels. This is not the best example but there are others around Annan.
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| 2022 © P Russell |
Continue along the street to see what used to be a Congregational church, but is now Sparkler's Nursery.
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| 1859: Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland |
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
In 1931 however it was a Salvation Army Hall.
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| 1931: Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland |
The Salvation Army was founded in 1865, by a Methodist preacher called William Booth. With his wife Catherine they set up the East London Christian Mission. They wanted to offer practical help to the poor and destitute as well as preaching the gospel to them. They changed its name to the Salvation Army in 1878 and today it has more than 1 million members in more than 100 countries.
According to 'A Guide to Old Annan' (by Voyager Young Enterprise Company at Annan Academy, published 1998) the HQ for the Salvation Army was at the Albert Hall in Port Street, where they met during the week and on Sundays.
Continuing along Greencroft Wynd and into Station Road you can see that the sign for Station Road is carved into the stone (well in winter you can, it will be obscured by the greenery in summer!)
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| 2022 © P Russell |
There is another on the same terrace (Clue - it says 'The Park')
Shortly we come to the United Reformed church. It was built about 1903 by the fishermen in the town and has changed very little. The most striking feature is the pulpit which represents the bow and bridge of a boat. The church takes the name 'Reformed' because it has its roots in the Reformation of the 17th century, but also because it seeks to be continually reforming, to equip itself to be a church for today.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
On the opposite side of the street there are 2 houses that have names engraved on their gate pillars. There will be more of these to look out for later.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
The YMCA had an ‘Institute’ on
Station Road, opposite the Central Hotel, and also had ‘tennis courts and ground’ behind the building. 'A Guide to Old Annan' (by Voyager Young Enterprise Company at Annan Academy, published 1998) reports that the Young Women's Christian Association met in the Victoria Halls every Tuesday for Bible study.
In June 1844 George Williams, a draper, joined 11 friends to organise the first Young Men's Christian Association as a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men trying to escape the dangers of life on the streets of London. The YMCA spread across the country and then the world helping young men with a variety of problems encountered in their lives. Today it works with young men, and women, regardless of their race or religion.
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| 2022 © V Russell |
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| Annan from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth by John Thomson |
The building was demolished and although the road layout has changed there is still a large empty space where the building used to be.
Looking across to junction of St John's Road and Station Road we see the new flats that have recently been built but did you know that there used to a church here? Greenknowe church came into being in 1840 when the Presbytery of Annan approved an application by the Rev. William Wyper to come and minister to a new congregation of the Church of Scotland. He then set about fundraising for a church building.
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| 1859: Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland |
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| Growing Together -the history of St Andrew's Greenknowe Erskine Parish Church |
Greenknowe refused to be amalgamated with the Parish church in 1873 but was made quoad sacra (it was a new parish, but the original parish remained the unit for civil and administrative purposes) Talk began in 1928
about a merger with St Andrew's as Greenknowe was deemed to be in need of so much
restoration. The church was later vacated but soon after suffered a fire that
destroyed it. A new building was built on the same plot but it then amalgamated with St Andrew’s church to
become St Andrew’s Greenknowe Parish Church.
Heading back towards the town centre along St John's Road there are many more house names engraved on gate pillars - most of them on just one side of the street! There is also a date stone on one of the houses.
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| 2022 © P Russell |
Towards the end of the street we come to St. John the Evangelist church. It is one of the oldest episcopal churches in the diocese, opened in 1843 after a design by Christopher Hodgson of Carlisle. There is a church hall built around 1893 in the grounds. The Scottish Episcopal Church began as a distinct church in 1582, and 'episcopal' government is by Bishops.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
Continuing along St John's Road to the junction with Bank Street and Ednam Street we see St Andrew's, which began as a Free church and had its first minister in 1844. The Free churches were formed to be separate from the government and their state churches. The building in Bank Street, where it began, was adapted as a church and improvements after 1881 included a new gallery and new seating. A church hall was added in 1884. In 1900 it
changed its name to St Andrew’s United Free church and in 1929 the United Free
Church reunited with the Church of
Scotland so that it became known as St Andrew’s Church of Scotland. In 1930 St Andrew’s and
Greenknowe merged to become St Andrew’s
Greenknowe Parish Church – who in 1974 then merged with Erskine Church to
become St. Andrew’s Greenknowe Erskine Parish Church.
Taking a left turn here we find what is left of Erskine church!
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| 2022 © V Russell |
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| Erskine at its best - from Growing together -a history of St Andrew's Greenknowe Erskine Parish Church |
Erskine, like St Andrew's was a United Free church, previously having been known as a Secession church, a United Secession church and Erskine Presbyterian church. 'Presbyterian' church government is rule by elders. In 1831 it was suggested that new church buildings were needed but it was 3 years before they found somewhere, in Bank Street. The Free church and the United Presbyterian church became the United Free church around 1900 and in 1906 ground was acquired for a church hall behind the Post Office in Bank Street. As with St Andrew's when the United Free church reunited with the Church of Scotland its name returned to Erskine Church (of Scotland). So ... in Annan there was Greenknowe Parish Church, St Andrew's Church and Erskine Church. In 1930 St Andrew's and Greenknowe merged to become St Andrew's Greenknowe Parish Church. Then in 1974 it merged with Erskine church to become St Andrew's Greenknowe Erskine Parish Church.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
Returning to St Andrew's and turning down Downie's Wynd we see The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness, who endeavour to honour Jehovah, the God of the Bible and Creator of all things. They regularly spend time helping people learn about the Bible and God's kingdom and get their name from the fact that they witness, or talk, about Jehovah.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
Crossing the High Street we head along Lady Street until we reach Nursery Place. Turning into Nursery Place we find Nursery Hall, on the left at the corner with Moat Road. It is on record as being a hall for the Christian Brethren. The brethren movement consists of Plymouth Brethren, Christian Brethren or just Brethren. They resisted taking an official name , having headquarters or clergy and were called brethren because of their habit of referring to each other as 'brother' or 'sister'.
We believe this was also the Salvation Army hall in the 1950's.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
Returning to Lady Street we go along English Street until it meets Butts Street. We turn left here keep going until we hit the corner of Johnstone Street. There was a Baptist chapel at the corner of Johnstone Street and Hopetoun Street (now Butts Street). This later became Thomson Hardware and more recently Baby Bump and Beyond Boutique (although this business is now on the High Street). Historians trace the earliest 'Baptist' church to 1609 in Amsterdam, with Englishman John Smyth as its pastor. In accordance with his reading of the New Testament, he rejected baptism of infants and instituted baptism of believing adults.
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| 1859: Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland |
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| Mar 2009 ©Google 2022 and © 2022 P Russell |
Returning to the High Street we head towards Fish Cross and Church Street. The building of Annan Old Parish Church began in 1790 on the site donated by the Marquis of Annandale. The church cost just over £600 but was completed without a steeple because of a lack of funds, but the money was raised and a steeple was added in 1798. A clock was also added although this was replaced in about 1976. The church is known affectionately as 'Annan Old' and the 225 year anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone was celebrated in 2014.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
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| Annan Old Parish on Facebook |
Note the date on the building behind the church and if you look up the tops of the drain pipes have a date on them, presumably the last time they were replaced. See if you can find the benchmark on the building too. Benchmarks are points of reference used by surveyors. They were chiselled into the stone and an angle-iron was then placed on it to form a 'bench' from which they could then accurately measure the height above sea-level.
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| 2022 © P Russell |
Further along Church Street where it meets Charles Street there is another disused building. This used to be a Baptist chapel. Note the carved street name on the side of the building on Charles Street.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
Continuing along Church Street and Scotts Street we see St Columba's Church. It was originally built as a Congregational church in 1794 on the site of a Secession Meeting House. Congregational church government is rule by the congregation. There is still a datestone for 1794 on the side wall of the church. It re-opened as a Catholic church in 1839 and was extended at both ends in 1904 by Charles Walker of Newcastle as the gift of the parish priest the Rev Lord Archibald Douglas.
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
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| 2022 © V&P Russell |
This concludes our walk around the places of worship in Annan.
If you have any further information, documents, photos or memories about anything in this blog - or can correct any mistakes - please let us know in the comments section at the bottom or on Annan The History Town Group Facebook page.
