Kinneff Old Church - Aberdeenshire, Scotland. - Country Churches on Waymarking.com

Kinneff is a parish on the eastern coastline of Scotland between the towns of Inverbervie and Stonehaven in the southern part of the county of Aberdeenshire (formerly Kincardineshire). A church was built a few hundred yards from the rocky coast near the hamlet of Kinneff, and was dedicated to St Arnty. It was consecrated by Bishop David de Bernham of St Andrews on August 5th 1242 and became part of the diocese of St Andrews.

The building became famous as being the location of the sheltering of the Honours of Scotland (crown jewels), between 1651 and 1660 during the English Civil War, having been rescued from Dunnotar Castle up the coast by minister James Grainger and his wife Christian Fletcher.

The church was rebuilt in 1737 and enlarged in 1876 by Dr William Mearns to a design by J Russell Mackenzie, with a north aisle and stair tower, giving the building a T-plan shape.

The church fell out of use by the 1970s but has since been restored by the Kinneff Old Church Preservation Society. It is reached down a country lane amidst woodland and surrounded by a graveyard. The west gable features a tall square bellcote, by John Morgan, and is topped by a stone finial and metal cross. Two small round arch windows lie underneath. The east gable opposite has a single round arched window.

The south elevation has six pointed-arch windows with Y-tracery, both end windows being originally doors. The north elevation is dominated by the added aisle which features rectangular windows in the gable and eastern face. Attached to the west is a small gabled stair tower which has an entrance door to the north and a tall pointed-arch window in the west face.

The church is open to the public all year round from 9.00am to 6.00pm and features historical information inside.