Korean Holy Ground Community Church, Stranraer, Wigtownshire

Stranraer Parish was created from Inch Parish in 1600. In 1622 Stranraer Church was disjoined from Inch Church. A church was built in 1649 as the Parish Church. It was replaced on the same site in 1694. A house was acquire to be a manse in 1696. A loft was installed in the church in 1725. The manse was rebuilt in 1761. The church was replaced in 1784/85 (66?) on adjacent land to the south. Archibald Paterson (Dean of Guild) was the builder. The manse was declared uninhabitable in about 1819 and was then condemned by the presbytery in 1833. A temporary wooden building was erected. The church was replaced on the same site in 1838/41. Hugh McDowall & Andrew McCrea were the masons for the work. The church closed in 2004 and was taken over by the Korean Holy Ground Community Church.

Construction materials: Stone (whinstone) - Used for walls; Slate - Used for roof;

This town parish church has whinstone walls with a sandstone frontage and a slate roof. It is in good condition and in full ecclesiastical use. More information to follow. Compiled by J. Dowling, 11/8/2004.

The churches were aligned anticlockwise of East/west with the entrance in the east. 

Nothing is known about the first three churches.

The presnt church is built in rubble construction with sandstone dressings except for the entrance front which is in buff ashlar sandstone. The roof is slated. 

The east front has three bays with the central bay projecting slightly and having double stepped buttresses. The entrance is a pointed arch with multiple side and arch mouldings. The door is panelled and the upper section is infilled in timber panelling. Above the door is a silightly recessed circle containing a pedestalled cross. Above again is a large pointed arch badly eroded window. It contains three pointed cinquefoils split by a transom, two daggers and a pointed-lobed quatrefoil. The buttresses end in octagonal pinnacles and at the apex there is a semi-octagonal column which has been truncated. The side windows are tall pointed arches with two pointed quatrefoils split by a transom, Two daggers, a small pointed-lobed quatrefoil and tracery. The sides of the gable have octagonal buttresses ending in pinnacles. 

The side walls have four bays with tall pointed arches with timber tracery.

The pulpit was replacedin 1957. It had been made by Mackenzie & Partners Ltd. A pipe organ by William Hill & Sons & Norman & Beard was installed that same year. Two stained glass windows by Alexander Kerr were installed in 1957/58 in the west gable. They depict "The Good Shepherd" & "Suffer the Little Children". These were followed in 1979 by one made by John Blyth for the east end of the north wall. It depicts "Risen Lord appearing to the Disciples". He also made one in 1991 for the west end of the north wall and it depicts "I stand at the Door and Knock". 

Internally there were three tiers of pews. The east gallery was accessed by dog-legged stairs against the east gable.