The campaign to save one of North Berwick’s most iconic sites steps up a gear this week.
St Andrew’s Kirk Ports is a 17th-century church to the south of the town centre, and had an iconic belltower that used to dominate the skyline.
It was built between 1658 and 1664 and was the second incarnation of the town’s kirk, the first being situated near the Scottish Seabird Centre.
The campaign spearheaded by North Berwick Environment and Heritage Trust (NBEHT) hopes to consolidate the “picturesque ruin”.
The group also hopes to reinstate the bell-shaped roof on the tower and make the kirk available for community use.
A motto for the campaign – ‘I hope for better things’ – matches the inscription on the church’s original bell.
The campaign has already received a promise of a £100,000 grant from North Berwick Trust if the group can raise another £600,000 from other sources.
In order to receive funding from other major grant-awarding bodies, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland, the group needs to demonstrate community support for the project.
As a first step, the group is inviting local people to a “community conversation” on Thursday (June 15).
Attendees will be invited to explore what the kirk means to the community; what people’s hopes and aspirations are for the historic site; and ideas for how the kirk could be used once it is conserved and open again.
Olwyn Owen, chair of NBEHT, said: “We would love to hear people’s thoughts and hopes for this treasure in our midst.
“We recently published a prospectus setting out some of our ideas for how the conserved kirk could be used, but we’d also love to hear the views of the community and for more people to become involved.”
The group’s ideas for the kirk include: weddings, commemorations and spiritual activities, cultural events such as storytelling, readings and concerts, and temporary art installations such as nativity scenes or light shows.
The group would also like there to be heritage information about the kirk and town and, once the bell-shaped roof tower has been reinstated, aims to have a staircase installed to provide a viewpoint across the town.
The group hopes that the kirk will become another viable tourist attraction.
Next Thursday’s event takes place at Steampunk Cafe from 6pm to 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be provided.
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