Scottish church's last service 'an emotional wrench' after sale to millionaire couple

The 1800s building will see a different way of life under the new owners.

Members of a congregation at a church in the process of being sold to the owners of one of Scotland’s most prestigious hotels have spoken of its emotional final service.

Millionaire couple Iwan and Manuela Wirth, who own the village’s Fife Arms Hotel, a boutique five-star hotel which has attracted celebrities including Dame Judi Dench and singer Rita Ora, are in the process of purchasing the Braemar Kirk in Aberdeenshire.

The Church of Scotland put the 19th century B-listed building on the market for £160,000 last year as congregations dwindled. Its last service was held on Sunday.

Braemar Kirk held its last service on Sunday. The church has been sold to the owners of the Fife Arms who said the first priority is to fix the roof and repoint the building | Supplied

Sources told The Scotsman the sale went for £325,000.

A spokesperson for the Fife Arms said the priority following the purchase is preservation of the building. This will include fixing the church roof and repointing the property.

They said it will open as “an extension of the Fife Arms’ hospitality and as a complimentary space to the village’s other venues”.

Braemar Kirk is a 19th century building in the heart of the Aberdeenshire village | Supplied

The sale has been controversial for the local community.

Bruce Luffman, an elder and treasurer for the Kirk Session, made up of elders of the parish, said: “I think this is a terrible shame for the community.

“The last service was lovely. It was meaningful and certainly emotional because the church has been so much more than just people turning up on a Sunday. We have a building that has been there for a very long time and that feeling is being lost.”

The congregation said they will have to look elsewhere for a weekly service | Supplied

Mr Luffman said the Kirk Session had tried to put in a bid to keep the building as an active church.

“I felt we had made a good case,” he said.

“But unfortunately the general trustees went for the highest bid, about £72,000 more.

“There might be some public use of the building by the new owners, but obviously it was a commercial decision.

“They are not keeping it as a church as it would have been if the second bid would have been accepted. For me, this was disappointing.”

One member of the congregation, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “There are options of other churches, but it is a wrench to have had the last service and that’s us now out. It’s a small enough congregation anyway and now we might end up with even less.

“If someone comes to the village and says ‘I want to come to church’, well, we haven’t got one.”

Another member said the congregation weren’t pleased about the bidding process.

She said: “The kirk didn’t go to the purchaser the community wanted.

“The community were firmly ignored.

“It’s a place where members of the congregation have had very special family days: Christmas, Easter, weddings. So it’s very sad.”

A Fife Arms spokesperson said: “Following the decision of the Church of Scotland to deconsecrate and sell Braemar Kirk, a beautiful historic B-listed church built in 1810, we have agreed to purchase this important village landmark.

“The existing planning permission allows for various uses which align perfectly with our commitment to repurpose and support historic buildings for public benefit, and it is important to us that both Braemar residents and visitors can continue to enjoy and access this influential symbol of Gothic revival rather than it converting to private residential use.”

They said the work will be in addition to the company’s ongoing involvement with nearby St Margaret’s Braemar which it financially supports.

The church sits about ten miles from Crathie Kirk, regularly used by the royal family.

The Queen had visited Braemar Kirk for a one-off visit in 2004 before she began her annual stay at Balmoral Castle.

A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: “The sale of the former Braemar Church building has not yet concluded and the legal formalities are still underway.

“The General Trustees of the Church of Scotland have fiduciary duties as charity trustees to ensure that best value is obtained when transferring ownership of a building and usually a below market transfer is not something which can be considered.”