St Serf's Church - Dunning, Perth & Kinross, Scotland
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 18.755 W 003° 35.247
30V E 463658 N 6241025
Church in the Perthshire village of Dunning, built from 1200-1219 and largely rebuilt since apart from the 75 foot tall tower.
Waymark Code: WM16QAH
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/16/2022
Views: 0
The village of Dunning lies seven miles south-west of the Scottish city of Perth and is dominated by the tower of St Serf's Church in the village centre.
The church was built in 1200 by Gilbert, Earl of Strathearn and appears to be up and running by 1219. The church consisted of a nave and lower chancel, with a 75 foot high Norman style tower on the west end. Some of the material for the building is thought to have come from an earlier monastery on the site dated from the 700s. The church was named for St Serf, or Servanus, a 6th century Pictish Bishop, who legend has it, ordered his pastoral staff to slay a dragon in Dunning (Gaelic - Dùnainn, the little fort) on the site of the church. St Serf died at Dunning and was buried at Culross.
In 1687 the chancel roof was raised and a Laird's Loft inserted. From 1808-1810 Alexander Bowie built a new aisle on the north side giving the building a T-plan shape, and had the south wall rebuilt. The tower has remained untouched apart from the addition of clock faces on all four sides in 1890.
The building ceased being Dunning's parish church in 1972, and it was placed into state care in 1978. In 2002 the Dupplin Cross, a 9th century Pictish cross dating back to the 9th century and Constantine, King of the Picts, was moved from the Royal Palace at Forteviot to stand in the church, it is the only unbroken Pictish cross in existence.
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