BILL McALLISTER: Future of Trinity Church in Inverness may be up in the air but it has a rich past and enduring record of service
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This year is the 160th anniversary of President Lincoln announcing the emancipation of slaves, Lewis Carroll writing Alice In Wonderland, Jean Lenoir building the first motor car – and a site being acquired for a new church in Inverness.
Land and buildings at Huntly Place were acquired by the Free High Church to create a “mission church” on the west side of the Ness.
The successor to that mission building, Trinity Church, a local landmark, is now threatened with closure later this year.
It was Rev Donald Fraser who called in 1860 for a mission to serve the Merkinch area and in January 1861 Inverness Presbytery agreed to go ahead, stating there was a part of the burgh “containing a population estimated at more than 4000 souls, and composed in a great proportion of the poorer labouring classes; but it is ascertained that many hundreds of these are living in neglect of the House of God”.
The 1861 meeting agreed services would be, as well as English, held in Gaelic, as the old tongue was “indispensable in dealing with the lower classes” but it was intended to make English the mission’s predominant language.
The first mission service was actually held the following month in Central School, the oldest primary school in Inverness, in Gaelic at 2pm, with the English service at 6.30pm in Merkinch School, then located at the Capel Inch at the bottom of Madras Street.
Searching for a site to build their mission church, the Presbytery considered a former mill premises in Wells Street and an ex-brewery in Duff Street before investing £90 to feu the Huntly Place site in 1862.
The old buildings on the site were demolished and on March 10, 1863 – a date chosen as it coincided with the Prince of Wales’ wedding – the foundation stone was laid by Mr Thomas Ogilvy of Corrimony, who purchased Corrimony House, the oldest surviving habitation in Glen Urquhart.
The new premises were built by north-east architects James Matthews, assisted by William Lawrie, who ran the firm’s Inverness office. That same year, the company revamped Aldourie Castle, built a Bank of Scotland in Inverness High Street and designed new buildings at 1-17 and 21-39 Union Street as well as 24 Church Street.
The Free High Church, along with local donors, stumped up the £1000 cost of the new church, which opened that November.
This year marks 165 years since the first minister, Rev Angus Brown, of what was then called the Free West Church. A small hall, then a larger one, were added over the next 20 years.
In 1929 it was agreed, after debate, to name it St Marks West Church. The demand for similar support for South Kessock, where up to 500 council houses were built or planned, saw a hall open in Thornbush Road in 1939. A church was due to be added but World War II saw this project scrapped, with services continuing in what was dubbed a “hall church”. The South Kessock venture united with St Marks West under the new name of Merkinch (St Marks).
In 1971, there was a merger with Queen Street Church, which had been built in 1837 and which became Chisholms funeral business in 1978.
The merged congregations were named St Marks (Queen Street and Merkinch).
Over six years the church building in Huntly Place was refurbished and extended, reopening in 1977 under a new name, Trinity Church – chosen because three congregations had now merged under one roof.
Five years later a second, larger hall was added, which led to the sale of the Thornbush Road premises, now occupied by Blackbridge furnishers.
Well-known figure Rev Norman MacRae was the Trinity minister for 37 years until retiring in 2003, succeeded by Rev Alastair Murray, who retired several years ago, leaving the church without a regular minister.
Trinity has fallen on harder times, with an ageing congregation but an enduring record of service to South Kessock and Merkinch.
What future use might be held for the church which has dominated the skyline on the Ness’s western flank for so long?
* Sponsored by Ness Castle Lodges.
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