The following article is about twenty years old¹– about the same age as the large hall. The writer is not known.
The St Andrews-Lhanbryd Church was built around 1790 (ed. 1783?) midway between the sites of the two original churches St Andrews (at Kirkhill) and Lhanbryde (in the village). The vestry was added in 1930, the hall in 1965. In 1960 the harling on the outside walls was removed to expose the fine colouring of stonework beneath. From the car park, you can see a line at the west end of the church where it might have been extended by ten feet. It is possible that this was done around 1860, the same time as the internal furnishings were rearranged, taking the pulpit from the long (windowless) wall to its present position, building in the balcony, and turning the direction of the benches – presumably originally gathered round a long central communion table – the present formation of pews.
The Church will have changed little in over a hundred years, except that the communion table, once all marble, used to be in the area in front of the central pews, the choir was boxed in in front of the pulpit, and the ‘manse pew’ was where the choir now is. In 1979 a ‘Father Willis’ organ (he made the organ in St Paul’s Cathedral) which came from Maryhill House, via Elgin Baptist Church, was rebuilt in the Church by Mr Sandy Edmonstone.
The silver communion cups are very old, the plates presented more recently. The tablecloth was made and donated by Miss Elizabeth Duncan of Hatton. The wood
carving, in Morayshire oak, was done by Mr Liam Barr of Drummuir, who also donated it.
It is intended to print further historical items in future editions of Contact and contributions of this kind will be welcome.
¹ At the time it was written