# Aldbar Chapel, Angus, Scotland - June 2016



## Brewtal (Jul 10, 2016)

Stop number 3 on the road trip. I can't remember how I found out about this ancient place but it is somewhere I have been meaning to visit for a good few years.

Some patchy history copied and pasted from several sources:

"According to Andrew Jervise in "Memorials of Angus and the Mearns" the chapel was restored by Mr Patrick Chalmers in c1850 "who not only preserved the exact dimensions of the building, but also used the old stones as far as possible, thereby preserving much of its ancient character."

"A rector of Aldbar is recorded in 1429 and in 1433 the church was granted to the College of Methven. The chapel had long been ruinous until restored by the late Mr Chalmers (c. 1850) who not only preserved the exact dimensions of the building, but also used the old stones as far as possible, thereby preserving much of its ancient character. In 1903, two sculptured stones are recorded in the chapel. One, an upright cross slab, is said to have stood in the burial ground of the old chapel, while the other with the Virgin and Child upon it, is said to have been found at Brechin."

"The church of Aldbar, which stood within its burial-ground in the Den of Aldbar 400m N of Mains, was ruinous before the middle of the 19th century, when its remains were incorporated in the mortuary chapel that now occupies the site. The church is on record in the 13th century and served the former parish of Aldbar until that parish was suppressed in the 17th century. A Class III Pictish cross-slab, which was removed from the burial-ground shortly before 1842, is in Brechin Cathedral."

That's the best I have managed to dig up.

So, a very old site. The 13th century grave slab from the cemetery is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The engravings suggest it may have been laid for a knight as this was found inside the chapel, not in the graveyard where most people were buried.

Not the most spectacular place I have ever visited, but I loved it all the same. A lot of lost history under this roof. It was nice to walk through the old gates up the road to where Aldbar Castle used to be, down a dirt track into the overgrown valley where this chapel only just stands. It has some very nice features and was in such a lovely location, completely isolated. Some of the graves were the oldest I have ever seen. Most of them you could barely see because it was so overgrown.


































































Thanks for looking!


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## smiler (Jul 10, 2016)

Wonderful pics of decay in action, the colours are stunning, great post, I loved it, Thanks


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## krela (Jul 10, 2016)

Lovely, thanks!


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## Sam Haltin (Jul 10, 2016)

Very nicely done, it must have been quite peaceful going through there.


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## HughieD (Jul 11, 2016)

What a fantastically atmospheric place. Good report.


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## Mikeymutt (Jul 11, 2016)

Liking that a lot mate


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## UrbanX (Jul 13, 2016)

Very sweet, goes to show that things built well really do last! 
Great photos, thanks for sharing


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## night crawler (Jul 13, 2016)

Oh superb such a great place to visit and photograph


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## flyboys90 (Jul 15, 2016)

Amazing how well the stone work looks!Smashing write up and great images.


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