Former Monigaff Church of Scotland, Minnigaff, Dumfries & Galloway

The Church would appear to predate 1209 but it is not on the Bagimond Roll by which time it probably had been annexed to Tongland. It was certainly annexed by 1471. In the 16th century there was an independent vicarage. It had a daughter chapel to St Inan at Kirkennan. The burial ground contains two early cross slab grave stones. Following the Reformation the church continued as a Parish Church up until 1834/36 when a new church was built slightly to the north. There may have been substantial rebuilding of it in the 17th century.

The architect for the new church was William Burn and he designed a Georgian style rectangular box with a west tower. The manse was enlarged and repaired in 1837. Missions (Sunday Schools) were started at Craig Hall, Blackcraig and Newton Strewart. Reconstruction works to the church were carried out in 1930. The manse had electric lighting installed in 1935 and the in the church in about 1940. 

In 1962 the church was linked with Bargrennan Church and in 1996 with Kirkmabreck Church. This last linkage became a union in the 2000s.

Construction materials: Stone - Used for walls; Slate - Used for roof;

This church is situated on a large promontary, and has walls constructed in numerous materials, including sandstone, granite, ashlar and whinstone. The church has a slate roof, and is in good condition and in full ecclesiastical use. Compiled by B. Holland, compiled by J. Dowling, 8/3/2004.

Minnigaff Old Parish ChurchThis old parish church is now in a ruinous state, with the walls upstanding but the roof gone. It is apparently a 16th century church built on Medieval foundations. There is apparently a number of cross slabs in a recess in the north wall. It is not clear as to their condition or age. No other information is available at the present time. Researched by B. Holland, compiled by J. Dowling, 8/3/2004.

The old church is aligned essentially east/west and is a simple rectangle. It is built in random rubble with fair faced dressings. Its east gable appears to be the oldest part with the remainder probably a rebuild in the 17th century. There is a rectangular entrance in approximately the centre of the north wall. The east gable has a round-headed entrance with a roll moulding. Above that is a pair of small abutting windows. The south wall has, from the east, a rectangular window, a second window but with a wide "relieving arch", a central entrance and then another two windows. The west gable has a rectangular entrance and above a rectangular window. This gable has the belry which has a ball finial. The north wall apart from the central entrace has only two windows to the west. 

The new church is essentially parallel to the old church with the entrance tower on the west. It is built in gray rubble with red sandstone dressings and detailing. The roof is slated. 

The tower has three storeys with a battlemented parapet and octagonal corner pillars with tall pinnacles. The entrance on the west face is a pointed arch with hood, arch and side mouldings and with the upper part of the arch glazed. At this stage on either side of the tower are stairwells with flat roofs. On the outer sides of them are large pointed arch windows with Y-tracery. Their west faces have two small blind lancet window one above the other. The tower at stage two has a pointed arch window with Y-ytacery on its west face while the other two faces have blind pointedarch windows but with pointed trefoils instead of lancets and Y-tracery. The third stage has large pointed arch windows with hood, arch and side mouldings. They contain three ogee-pointed trefoils and tracery but on the west face only thr lower section is glazed. On the other faces the windows are all blind. 

The side walls have five bays separated by stepped buttresses with square gabled pillars and tall pinnacles. Each bay has a large pointed arch window with a transom and Y-tracery. 

The east gable has a large pointed arch window with five main lights split by transoms and also cusped tracery. Below is the flat-roofed church offices which is rectangular with a three-sided east projection. The windows on the main section are lancets while those on the projection are wider with round-headed timber astrigals. 

The burial ground has a monument to Andrew Heron.

The windows on the old church are generally splayed internally to improve the light. 

In the new church the four north windows with the grisaille patterns and coloured borders may have been the work of William Cooper. A fivelight east window was installed in 1868 and depicts scenes from the life of Christ. This was followed in about 1875 by one depicting "Christ with Children". About 1890 a pipe organ by Bryceson & Co was installed. The pulpit was replaced in about 1893. In 1910 A Ballantine & Son installed the second from the east south window. It depicts "Her Children rise up and call her blessed". Next in about 1920 the second from the west south window was installed and it depicts "Take I pray thee My blessing that is brought to Thee". 

The west window in the south wall was installed in 1930 and depicts "The Madona & Child". In about 1955 the east window in the south wall was installed and it depicts " Ruth & Boaz".