Invergowrie Churches

There are four church buildings in the area of the village of Invergowrie.

Invergowrie Parish Church, of which this is the web site, was opened in 1909, is one of only two churches in Invergowrie still in active use. It is the local parish church of the Church of Scotland, and was until 1945 known as St Columba's Church when it was amalgamated with the congregation of Invergowrie East Church.

Prior to 1909, the congregation in Invergowrie had worshipped in the so called Iron Church, opened in 1886 as a result of a Longforgan Kirk Session decision to build a church in Invergowrie for the benefit of the members of their congregation from Invergowrie. 

Former ministers of the Iron Church, St Columba's and Invergowrie Parish Church were :-

The present minister is the Rev Robert J Ramsay.

Invergowrie East Church was part of the Free Church of Scotland and stands on Main Street opposite the end of Mylnefield Road. It is no longer in use as a church but operates as the Bullionfield Recreation Hall for the village. Over the decades this Church functioned under a variety of names. It was built in 1844  and up until 1900 it was called the Longforgan Free Church. From 1900 to 1929 it was known as the Longforgan United Free Church, and from 1929 to 1945 as Invergowrie East Church.

The reference to Longforgan, a village about four miles to the west of Invergowrie in the older names of Invergowrie East Church, is an indication that for a long time Longforgan was the major settlement in the area and for many years Invergowrie was considered too small to exist as an independent parish. 

All Souls' Church is the local church of the Scottish Episcopal Church and is in active use. The building near the western end of Main Street with a magnificent, tall, red sandstone spire was consecrated in 1896.

Dargie Church, now in ruins, is situated in Station Road near the Invergowrie Burn (burn being a Scots word for stream). If you are interested in other Scots words or the Scots language the University of Oregon has some excellent on-line information.

The site is an ancient place of Christian worship and is associated with the old Celtic Church. One story is that it was founded by a priest named St Boniface around the year 715. His name is now remembered in two new streets of houses, Boniface Place and Boniface Road, built around 1990. Dargie Church fell into disuse in the 18th century meaning that the site would have been a place of Christian worship for about 1000 years.