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You may read about the history of the churches and the community of Ferryhill in the book Showers of Blessings by David Haggart

More Information

Depending on how you measure these things, Ferryhill Parish Church is either 11 or 128 years old!

Back in 1873, when Ferryhill was beginning to develop as an important suburb of Aberdeen, plans were made to erect two churches. Why? Because 30 years earlier the Church of Scotland had split in two. There was the Established Church and the Free Church.

The split was not healed until 1929. So in the latter part of the 19th Century, if one denomination built a church in a particular area, the other quickly followed. This explains why so often you find two church buildings very close together - in Aberdeen, Queen's Cross and Rubislaw provide the perfect example.

In Ferryhill the Established Church was first off the mark, building Ferryhill Parish Church at the foot of Crown Street. The Free Church followed in 1874 by opening the church building which we still use at the top of Polmuir Road.

The denominations united in 1929 and from then until 1990 there were two Church of Scotland congregations in Ferryhill - North and South. They came together in 1990 to form Ferryhill Parish Church - a brand new congregation using the original name.

So, at the start of a new Millennium we are aged either 11 or 128, but equipped as never before to serve all the people of Ferryhill.

Landmark

If you live in Ferryhill the Parish Church is an important part of your environment, whether or not you think of yourself as religious. From 1874 it has been the most obvious landmark in the area and has provided a focal point that has enabled Ferryhill to retain the characteristics of a village within the city - a village clustered round its parish church.

The superb site was acquired for the Church by William Henderson who lived in Devanha House. The architect who designed the building was Duncan McMillan who lived, at different times, in Albury Road, Polmuir Road and Marine Terrace.

Transformation

Serving the needs of the local community has always been a priority of the Church in Ferryhill. For the first half century of its existence this was done through mission halls in Wellington Road, Bloomfield Road and Holburn Street. After that, activities were centred on the two church buildings.

Now there is one building and the congregation has faced up to the challenge of taking a fresh look at the space within the building to find ways of using it more effectively - to transform it into a lively, bustling place catering for a wide range of community needs, but always with the Sanctuary at its heart.

Facing up to the challenge has involved a tremendous amount of hard work. £250,000 had to be raised. The "Ferryhill Towards 2000" campaign got underway in 1994. Big sales, small sales, coffee mornings, concerts, a host of sponsored events and many generous personal donations produced sufficient funds to get the work started. Now, with the job completed, fund-raising must continue until a £90,000 loan from the Church of Scotland is paid off.

By happy coincidence, Oliver Humphries, the architect whose imaginative plans have produced the transformation, has his office in Albury Road, just a few yards from the house occupied by Duncan McMillan when the church was originally built.

The Foyer