Castle Street Church Of Scotland ⋆ Ross and Cromarty Heritage

Castle Street Church Of Scotland

Attribution: unknown (Greenhill street in Dingwall looking North)

Castle Street Church of Scotland

The Castle Street Church of Scotland is situated in Castle Street opposite the National Hotel. Built in 1909 as the United Free Church (a result of the Union of Free and United Presbyterian Churches in 1900), the architect was William Mackintosh. The Free Church won right to property and assets of the pre1900 Free Church. A congregation of around 300 (members and adherents) meets twice on Sundays for worship, with a weekly Prayer Meeting/Bible Study and Coffee Morning. Internally the church is finished in pitch pine. The west stained glass window was inserted in 1926 as a memorial to Provost Crawford. The organ, by Messrs. Foster and Andrews, was installed in 1991 but was built in 1895 for Blackadder Church, North Berwick. New Hall suite built at rear was opened and dedicated in 1991.

Attribution: unknown

Centenary of Castle Street Church of Scotland 1909-2009

We all know about being in the right place at the right time! For me this does not happen often, but since this is the Centenary year of our Congregation it is certainly true. I count it an honour to be asked to contribute this Foreword to the Centenary Booklet as minister of the Congregation at this momentous time. The fact that I am here is within the providence of God, and I am happy to commend this short history of the Congregation to you. This will inevitably mean most to those who have been around Dingwall for the longest time, since it will mention the names of individuals and families who have played an important part in the history of the Congregation, but I trust that even those who are comparative newcomers will find something of interest in our history.

– Rev. Grahame McL. Henderson

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Dingwall » Dingwall History » Dingwall Transport

12 Dingwall Transport

Archie Macrae's bus, JS7693, waiting outside Royal Bank in Dingwall. Note cobbled roadway. Archie Macrae operated a bus service (Monday - Saturday) from North Kessock to Dingwall. As well as carrying passengers Archie conveyed whatever his customers had ordered from ironmongers, butchers, bakers, grocers, and even garage spares! [Photo source unknown]

03 Dingwall Transport

Three coaches at Dingwall Station (late 19th century).

02 Dingwall Transport

Decline of the Ferry.

01 Dingwall Transport

At Dingwall Ferry.

10 Dingwall Transport

Cars and Lorries in Grant Street (1960s?)

06 Dingwall Transport

Cars, bicycles and motorcycles outside what became (or had been) the Post Office and later Morganti's shop and restaurant.

04 Dingwall Transport

Gunn's carriage outside Robertson's (now National) Hotel in 1900.

07 Dingwall Transport

Various delivery carts outside shops in High Street. The building was demolished (late 60s/early 1970s?) and became Woolworths, which in turn closed nationally in 2009, and re-opened as The Factory Shop in 2010.

09 Dingwall Transport

Cars, vans and ambulance outside garage in Tulloch street. (MacKay Bros., Motor Engineers, later Tesco store and car park and, in 2006, Lidl supermarket.)

08 Dingwall Transport

Baker's van with horse (house possibly in Craig Road). It is recalled that this van was a familiar sight in the late 1940s and early 1950s when its route took it to the farms along the Old Evanton Road, to Evanton and back to source, driven by "Jimmy the baker".

05 Dingwall Transport

Progress - various carts, one car, one motorcycle outside the National Hotel, pre-WW1.

12 Dingwall Transport

Plaque at Dingwall Station. [Photo RCHS] The plaque reads: This railway station was used as a tea stall for sailors and soldiers from 20th September 1915 until 12th April 1919 in connection with the Ross and Cromarty County Branch Red Cross Society during which period 134,864 men were supplied with tea.

13 Dingwall Transport

Plaque at Dingwall Station [Photo RCHS] Plaque reads: The Royal Navy train known as the Jellicoe Express stopped here. From 1917 it ran daily between London and Thurso during both world wars. It was named after Admiral Sir John Jellicoe and carried service personnel to and from Naval bases around the country, including Scapa Flow. This memorial is dedicated to the men and women who travelled and worked on it. [Photo RCHS]

11 Dingwall Transport

Car comes to grief somewhere in Dingwall area. [|Photo source and details unknown.]

Attribution: unknown

Dry rot work

‘Dry rot’ is how some would describe the subject of history, but in 2013-14 this was a problem facing the congregation of Castle Street Church when a fallen piece of plaster revealed what would become a period of extensive, and expensive, repairs.

The congregation engaged John Morrison, Timber Preservation Ltd, a firm with experience in this type of work, since buildings associated with sister churches, built like Castle Street, in the first decade of the 20th century, had encountered similar disasters.

The photographs which follow are courtesy of John Morrison Ltd and the Minister and Kirk Session of Castle Street Church.