Royal Rededication for Historic Quire

Thursday May 11 2017

The Princess Royal was the guest of honour at the Rededication service for the 14^th century quire of Bothwell Parish Church, Lanarkshire.

The quire had undergone a £2 million repair and restoration project over five years following an appeal of which Princess Anne had been patron.

The Rev Jim Gibson, minister of the church and a Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen, explained: “The quire has a most unusual roof design comprised of layers of heavy stone slabs (no timber at all). Over centuries, the enormous weight of these bearing down on a clay foundation warped the supporting walls.

“This resulted, five years ago, with winter storms bringing down masonry within the building and making the Quire unsafe for use. We were faced with its immediate repair and restoration or the loss of that part of the church building with all its history and architectural significance.

“£2million was raised by the congregation and donations from well-wishers across the UK and abroad. The money took just over two years to raise.”

Bothwell Parish Church is the oldest collegiate church in Scotland in which worship is still held, and is locally known as the ‘Cathedral of Lanarkshire’.

Post Tags: princess anne, princess royal, bothwell

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