St Serf's Church - Dunning, Perth & Kinross, Scotland - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

The village of Dunning lies seven miles south-west of the Scottish city of Perth under the northern flank of the Ochil Hills in Strathearn. The village is dominated by the tower of St Serf's Church, the only original part of the church which was built from 1200-1219.

The church was built using the remains of an early monastery in the 700s and named for St Serf or Servanus, a 6th century Pictish bishop who legend has it, ordered his pastoral staff to slay a dragon in Dùnainn (Little Fort in Gaelic), on the site that the church was built. St Serf died in Dunning and was buried at Culross.

Work began on the church designed by Gilbert, Earl of Strathearn in 1200, and it was believed to be up and running by 1219. It consisted of nave, lower chancel and a 75 foot tower on the west gable. In 1687 the chancel roof was raised and a Laird's Loft inserted. After surviving the burning of the village by the Jacobites in 1716, Alexander Bowie built a new north aisle on the north side from 1808-10, giving the building a T-plan shape. The south wall was also rebuilt, leaving the tower as the only surviving part of the original building. The church ceased to be the parish church in 1972 and it was put into state care in 1978.

The tower is is Norman in style and is in three stages with stringcourses at each level. There are lintel openings at all stages, with round-arched belfry openings at the third stage on the north and south faces. Clock faces were originally on the west and east faces, but since 1890, new clocks were placed below on all four sides. The tower tapers slightly to the crowstepped gable roof which is slated. A turret stair within reaches halfway up the tower with wooden ladders above.

The oldest bell in the tower is 22 inches in diameter and was cast in the Mechlin Foundry in Belgium possibly by Peter van den Ghein I. The inscription in Dutch translates to 'I was born in the year of our Lord 1526'

A second larger bell was also inscribed in Dutch 'To the One God be glory - John Ouderogge made me in Rotterdam 1681'. A latin inscription also reads 'This bell calls the sinners to the Gospel it to Christ, he to Heaven'. This bell was captured from a vessel in the American War and brought to Dunning by Andrew, 5th Lord of Rollo. In 1773 the Master of Rollo received a son and heir born after four daughters and instructed 'make the bell ring till it crack'. This was done literally, the fragments were sent to be recast by T Mears of London in 1860 and then rehung in the chapel of Duncrub House. The bell was since lost after the house was demolished.

The present bell is 38 inches in diameter by T Mears of London fecit, and was presented by Mark Howard Drummond Esq of Kelty, Major of the 72nd Regiment or Albany Highlanders on August 3rd 1825.

The smaller bell was originally the Toll Bell, and now announces the half hour. The larger bell sounded the morning and highly curfew. and now announces the hour.