12 St. Margaret’s Church

Former Episcopal Church built in 1907

1907: St. Margaret’s Church in Aberfeldy was dedicated and John Harrison installed as Rector for Aberfeldy and Strathtay, and remained there as Rector until his death in 1942 when he was interred with his mother-in-law.

1910:  A hall was attached to the church, and opened by Mrs. Howard who had donated £100 towards defraying the costs of building the hall. 

1916: ACM 29th February. There was a delay in holding the annual church meeting as the church hall was being used as a military hospital.

6th February 1921: The Bishop dedicated the window donated by Miss Kindermann.  Mr. Elmodie donated a gas radiator for the church hall which was at that time unheated.

1st May 1975:  In order to ensure the continuing viability of the churches, St.Margaret’s and St. Andrew’s were linked with St. Mary’s, Birnam, under Rev. David Wright.

The Rectory, Carndhu in Taybridge Drive, was sold to Mr. Divers for £18,200.

July 1978: a memorandum was sent to the Diocesan Executive Committee recommending the closure of St. Margaret’s but having a final service there on 13th August.

A suggestion that St. Margaret’s be offered to the Roman Catholics eventually came to nothing. It was closed in 1978 and the congregation moved to St. Andrew’s, Strathtay. The round nativity window from St. Margaret’s was brought to Strathtay and was installed in the new vestibule of St. Andrew’s.  St. Margaret’s building is now a private house.

If you look diagonally across the mini roundabout you will see Dunolly House.

This was once the largest house in Aberfeldy and was said to have built for Duncan Macdougall, the piper to the Marquis of Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle.

Duncan was a famous bagpipe maker, his business was at 29 Kenmore Street in Aberfeldy. Duncan died in Aberfeldy in 1898 but his pipes are still sought after. When Queen Victoria visited Taymouth Castle she was very taken with the idea of having a piper and so she established the post which continues to this day.

Dunolly has had various uses including being the boys’ boarding house for Breadalbane Academy in the 1990s and a centre for outdoor sports.

For information on the individual Heritage Trail locations, click on these links:

00: A brief history of the Churches in the Aberfeldy area; 01: The Square; 02: Aberfeldy Town Hall;

03: Former St. Andrew’s Church; 04: Birks of Aberfeldy; 05: Moness House; 06: Aberfeldy Hospitals;

07: Former Wee Free Chapel; 08: Independent Chapel; 09: The Watermill; 10: Parish Church;

11: Breadalbane Academy; 12: St. Margaret’s Church; 13: Black Watch memorial; 14: Aberfeldy Golf Club;

15: Wade’s Bridge; 16: Weem Parish Church; 17: Menzies Mausoleum; 18a Castle Menzies;

18b Castle Menzies Walled Garden; 19: Our Lady of Mercy’s RC Church; 20: Aberfeldy Branch Line.