Auchenblae Parish Church - Aberdeenshire, Scotland - Presbyterian Churches on Waymarking.com

The village of Auchenblae lies in the parish of Fordoun in the southern part of Aberdeenshire, formerly Kincardineshire. The site the parish church was built on has been an important religious site since the 7th century and is associated with St Palladius.

The current church was built from 1827-29 by John Smith and was then known as Fordoun Parish Church. It stands on an elevated site on the south side of the village with steep drops on the west, north, and eastern sides. It was built in a neo-perpindicular style and its main feature is the 30 metre high rectangular west tower. The church features gothic detailing with pointed arch windows and crocheted finials. It was built of large rubble blocks of red sandstone with ashlar surrounds and a slated roof.

The three stage tower at the western end has the entrance door at its foot. Diagonal buttresses on the corners taper inwards to the top. The second stage features black and gold clock clock faces, and the third belfry stage has pointed louvred openings below a parapet with thick pinnacles. The west gable on either side of the tower has pointed-arch windows.

On the north and south side there are five bays divided by tall three-stage buttresses with pinnacles. Each bay has a large pointed-arch window. The east gable to the rear is built of poorer quality stone and has a single round wheel window.

The church is surrounded by a graveyard including the ruins of St Palladius' Chapel. The building is of the Church of Scotland denomination and is now part of the West Mearns group of churches. There is a service at 11.00am on every Sunday except the first of the month.