This illustrated information sign can be found at the entrance on the south side of the churchyard at St Serf's Church in the centre of the village of Dunning, seven miles to the south-west of the Scottish city of Perth. The church was built from 1200-1219 with the 75 foot Norman-style tower still standing on the west gable, the rest of the building having been largely rebuilt.
The sign depicts a drawing of the church from the 1200s, a stained glass window in Culross Abbey showing St Serf who is buried there, and the Dupplin Cross, the only unbroken Pictish cross in Scotland, which honours Constantine, king of the Picts, which was moved from the Royal Palace at Forteviot to inside the church in 2002. The rest of the text on the sign reads as follows:
'This church has been here for 800 years and survived the burning of Dunning by Jacobites in 1716. Changing needs have led to alterations over the years.
A PLACE IN TIME
Dunning was a site of great early significance. There was once an Iron Age fort at nearby Dun Knock, and a Roman camp at Kincladie. Excavations around the church suggest it was built using parts of an earlier structure - possibly the remains of an early monastery from the 700s. Pictish crosses found in the church and surrounding area also indicate that this was an important Christian centre.
DEAD DUNNING DRAGON?
The church is dedicated to St Serf, or Servanus, a 6th-century Pictish bishop. Legend tells that he used his pastoral staff to slay a dragon in Dunning - called Dùnainn in Gaelic, meaning 'little fort'.
KEY DATES
700s - An early monastery possibly exists near the site of today's church.
1203 - Inchaffrey Abbey canons are granted the parish of Dunning by Gille Brigte (Gilbert), Mormaer (Earl) of Strathearn. The church probably dates from a little earlier than this.
1506 - The protestant reformation changes the way the church is used and how people worship.
1687 - Andrew, 3rd Lord Rollo, adds the 'laird's loft' and external stairs to the church.
1716 - Jacobite soldiers burn the village of Dunning after the Battle of Sherriffmuir, but the church survives intact.
2002 - The Dupplin Cross is moved inside the church.'