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Ferryhill Parish Church, Aberdeen

Take a tour of our new facilities

Mary Marr makes a presentation to
Anne Begg MP

Moving Service of Dedication

The ceremony was followed by a moving service in which music played a large part. The Moderator of Aberdeen Presbytery, the Revd Fred Coutts, led the act of dedication. During the service prayers were said for the family of George Duncan, site manager for Chap Construction, who had died in a road accident on the previous day. George had personally supervised all the building operations on our project, and had planned to be present at the dedication service.

Anne Begg MP expressed her admiration for the additional accommodation that has been created at Ferryhill Parish Church when she declared the new facilities officially open at a special celebration on Sunday June 4th. As she pulled the cord to unveil the plaque which now sits above the hall entrance, the long-silent church bell began to toll, and a specially composed "Fanfare for Ferryhill" echoed through the building, signifying that the Kirk's long established tradition of service to the community was entering a new phase.

The easiest way to find is to come and see for yourself. The building is open every morning and most evenings and you will always be welcome. If it is your first visit, you will want to spend some time in the Sanctuary of the church itself. Its internal architecture is graceful and provides a wonderful setting for one of Aberdeen's finest What are the new facilities?  collections of stained glass windows. The new parts of the building that we want you to see are in front of and alongside the Sanctuary.

New Entrance

There's a new entrance at the west side of the building, but if you come through the newly extended porch you'll find yourself in a brand new Foyer, elegantly designed to serve several purposes. It will form a meeting place where people can relax before and after attending services in the church.

The Atrium

The Foyer and Atrium
A place to relax

A feature of the Foyer is the glazed partition which separates it from the Sanctuary, allowing visitors to see right into the heart of the church at all times.

 
Looking into the Church from the Foyer

From the Foyer there is direct access to the new Atrium, a brilliant architectural concept which makes use of the space between the church and the Large Hall. The Atrium (pictured below) is more than a splendid entrance to the hall area. It is a splendid space in its own right and will be used for receptions, art exhibitions and as an extension to the lounge area in the Foyer. New toilets (including one designed for wheel-chair users) have been provided in the Foyer at ground floor level, easily accessible from the Church or the Large Hall.

The Atrium

There are also new toilets and cloakroom facilities at first floor level. The west staircase from the Foyer leads to the new church office which has been created in the tower. This is also where the control point for the church bell is located - the bell hung silent for over 30 years until Ferryhill Community Council provided funds for a new mechanism. A passage leads to a surprisingly spacious gallery from which you can look down into the Atrium. This opens up possibilities of musicians playing there while coffee mornings are in progress. Plans are also being considered for the installation of computers in this area to provide some kind of "cyber cafe" facility.

Young and Old

The "cyber cafe" is still at the drawing board stage, but if we can make it a reality it should make the Atrium Gallery a popular meeting place for youngsters - somewhere to hang out after school. At other times it could attract the older generation, giving them access to the Internet and helping them to feel at home with dot.com technology.

The new facilities greatly increase the Church's potential for meeting the social, spiritual and recreational needs of all age groups. Of course, a lot of that has already been happening. All the existing church organisations will continue to function, and many of them will benefit from the changes to the building. For example, mums and dads collecting children from the Playgroup will find the Foyer a pleasant place to relax while they wait. The Senior Citizens' Lunch Club will continue, and may be able to expand its activities. 

The ability to provide a good standard of catering is central to many of the activities that will take place in the Church buildings. A completely new kitchen has been created, opening into the Atrium, close to the Foyer, and serving via a hatch into the Large Hall. The potential created by the kitchen (shown above) has been fitted out to the highest professional standards and fully complies with the latest food hygiene regulations.

A group of in-house experts has been appointed to the "Kitchen Cabinet" to oversee all our catering operations and to ensure that volunteer workers are adequately trained. The new kitchen is tremendous. We'll start modestly with teas, coffees and snacks, but we hope to be able to move on to provide lunches and to cater for evening functions. We should also be able to accommodate small wedding receptions and funeral teas. 

The Atrium Gallery offers a new possibility for informal music-making. The acoustics of the Church have attracted many musicians to Ferryhill. Now, with the addition of the Foyer and Atrium, plus the catering facilities, we have a first class venue for all kinds of concerts and recitals. The Atrium benefits from good natural daylight, and has also been fitted with excellent artificial lighting. This will make it ideal for small art exhibitions. We would like to be able to stage a succession of exhibitions throughout the year and we look forward to hearing from artists who would be interested in taking advantage of this.

Visit the Archive Room

With the church office moving to the tower, space became available in the basement for the creation of an Archive Room. If you have an interest in local history or in the people who served in the two churches which came together to form Ferryhill Parish Church in 1990 you will enjoy visiting the room. You can browse in old record books, study old photographs and examine some very fine old bibles. It's a little museum, laid out very informally. Pop down any time, but mind your step on the basement stairs. Any office-bearer should be able to lend you the key.

All the facilities in our building are for the benefit of the local community and must not be thought of as restricted to church members. You will be welcome at any time, but to be sure that you can see everything, come in the morning. On Sundays, of course, you will see the church "working" during the morning service. You can enjoy a coffee afterwards as you look round. From Monday to Saturday, the Coffee Shop is open from 9.30 to 11.30 and there will always be people on hand to show you the rest of the building. The Coffee shop has started serving cooked breakfasts and bacon rolls on a Monday and very soon hopes to introduce light lunches on Saturdays.

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