Auldcathie Church, West Lothian

Step back in time at the ruins of Auldcathie Church, a Pre-Reformation building in West Lothian. The church now stands as a collapsed yet spiritual ancient monument in the middle of a cornfield surrounded by the Scottish countryside. From the architecture to the landscape, every feature of this location speaks of a bygone era.

The church is first mentioned in records in 1198, when it was granted to a William Gifford by the Prior of St. Andrews.

In 1528, one of the first martyrs of the Reformation, young, newly-wed Patrick Hamilton of Kingscavil, was burnt at the stake here. The church could not recruit a Minister for Auldcathie following the Reformation, and stand-ins were sent out from the nearby Parishes of Abercorn and Cramond. The Commissioners of Parliament annexed the Parish of Auldcathie to the Parishes of Dalmeny in 1618, and Auldcathie Church fell into ruin soon after.

This picture was taken on 6 August 2020.