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.

01 Dingwall Churches

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

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images 

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.

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images 
Dingwall » Dingwall Places
11 Dingwall Places
11 Dingwall Places
Territorial Army building on Ferry Road.
10 Dingwall Places
10 Dingwall Places
Territorial Army building on Ferry Road.
13 Fingal Lodge
13 Fingal Lodge
Freemasons Lodge at west end of Dingwall.
21 Dingwall Places
21 Dingwall Places
Aerial view of Church Street.
16 Dingwall Places
16 Dingwall Places
Nicol's Court
06 Dingwall Places
06 Dingwall Places
Hill Street
02 Dingwall Places
02 Dingwall Places
Dingwall and the Black Isle from Dochcarty. [Photo Dingwall Camera Club]
Dingwall Places
Dingwall Places
A snowy Ferry Road.
22 Dingwall Places
22 Dingwall Places
Church Street at ground level, looking towards High Street.
27 Dingwall Places
27 Dingwall Places
In Tulloch Street, across the road from St Clement's, stands the Old Academy complex and in this building is the Community Centre.
07 Dingwall Places
07 Dingwall Places
Park Street with Free Church in background.
08 Dingwall Places
08 Dingwall Places
Railway Station
15 Dingwall Places
15 Dingwall Places
Older properties include Lochiel Place.
31 Dingwall Places
31 Dingwall Places
At the start of Craig Road is the canal built by Thomas Telford.
28 Dingwall Places
28 Dingwall Places
"Over the fence" from the Old Academy lies the site of the former Dingwall Castle including its Doocot, seen here surrounded by scaffolding and awaiting repairs to its structure.
33 Dingwall Places
33 Dingwall Places
A short distance away, on your left, is Pefferside Park and boating pond, gifted to the town by Dingwall Fire Brigade Club.
29 Dingwall Places
29 Dingwall Places
A short distance from the Doocot is the Episcopal Church.
25 Dingwall Places
25 Dingwall Places
St Clement's Church
26 Dingwall Places
26 Dingwall Places
St Clement's church adjacent to the marts' site, now Tesco.
04 Dingwall Places
04 Dingwall Places
Towering above Dingwall is the Macdonald monument, built to honour Major General Sir Hector Macdonald, a local man who rose from Private through the ranks of the British Army. He was victor of the battle of Omdurman in the Sudan war. His monument is surrounded by the local cemetery known as Mitchell Hill.
03 Dingwall Places
03 Dingwall Places
Macdonald Memorial.
30 Dingwall Places
30 Dingwall Places
At the top of Tulloch Street is the Bank of Scotland.
37 Dingwall Places
37 Dingwall Places
To the left of Tulloch flats is Dingwall Primary School, originally part of Dingwall Academy but now a separate building.
36 Dingwall Places
36 Dingwall Places
On the road to Tulloch Castle hotel are the Tulloch flats, once known as Mackay Hostel, the home of boys from the west coast who attended Dingwall Academy.
14 Dingwall Places
14 Dingwall Places
Houses in Boggan Bank, opposite Fingal Lodge.
18 Dingwall Places
18 Dingwall Places
Looking down the "close" adjacent to Munro's butcher's shop towards the windows of Dingwall Camera Club's base.
19 Dingwall Places
19 Dingwall Places
The mechanism of the Town Clock, now redundant following renovation of the town hall tower.
01 Dingwall Places
01 Dingwall Places
Ben Wyvis 3432 ft (1046m) as seen from south entrance to Dingwall. Petrol station forecourt no longer exists and the building formerly known as The Park (out of sight) is now a local authority office. [Photo J W Bruce, 2001]
34 Dingwall Places
34 Dingwall Places
Behind the pond could be seen Dingwall Academy, opened in 1939, with its extensive playingfields in front, on which the "new" Dingwall Academy now stands.
23 Dingwall Places
23 Dingwall Places
Reith & Anderson's auction mart at the foot of Church Street with Ian Tolmie on the rostrum.
32 Dingwall Places
32 Dingwall Places
A less attractive photo of part of the canal with the Cromarty Firth in the background. [Photo source unknown]
24 Dingwall Places
24 Dingwall Places
At the foot of Church Street, Hamilton and Reith & Anderson auction marts, now combined and operating on a site outwith Dingwall.
20A Dingwall Places
20A Dingwall Places
Beside Dingwall Museum is Eagle Close, above which is the headquarters of Dingwall Camera Club.
03 Dingwall Places
03 Dingwall Places
The Cromarty firth and Black Isle taken from the old ferry crossing Dingwall - Alcaig.
05 Dingwall Places
05 Dingwall Places
The Macdonald Memorial in course of construction [F W Urquhart photograph]
12 Dingwall Places
12 Dingwall Places
Police Station, adjacent to Fingal Lodge.
20 Dingwall Places
20 Dingwall Places
For a few years the Mercat Cross was sited outside the Towh Hall but due to deterioration it was moved into Dingwall Museum.,
02 Dingwall Places
02 Dingwall Places
The Black Isle from Cluny Hill.
35 Dingwall Places
35 Dingwall Places
At the foot of 'Kinnairdie brae' the home and garden of Mr William Logan whose construction firm built the Tay Road Bridge, several of the hydro dams and power stations around the Highlands. His firm employed mainly local labour.
17 Dingwall Places
17 Dingwall Places
Across the High Street from Nicol's Court was Woolworths store which closed, nationally, in 2008 and became the Factory Shop in 2010.

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