Now, as you enter the doorway and turn to your left you will see the north wall and the Session House which is attached to it. These were renovated and stabilised thanks to a substantial grant from the Historic Environment Scotland Covid Recovery Fund.

 

Following the consolidation of the wall it was discovered that the wall had been rebuilt, likely around the time that the Session House was added during the building works which were carried out between the years 1842 and 1843. 

 

For those not familiar with what a Session House is, let me explain, the Session House attached to the Kirk at Kilbride is essentially a room where the church elders would have met to discuss important matters concerning how the church operated. For example, the Session House might meet to discuss a time for services to ensure the time was convenient to the church members. 

 

Following the abandoning of the Kirk in 1876, the Session House was also abandoned. Prior to excavation and consolidation, it was clear that the Session House had been used as a dump for the graveyard as it was filled with debris, as well as rubble from the ruined Kirk. 

 

Volunteers had the mammoth task of removing this rubble during the pandemic lockdown as well as calling in a tree surgeon to carefully remove a tree that had grown within the structure. Many hours of hard work had to be carried out before the wall could be consolidated. 

 

Please proceed to Station 9 when you are ready, by exiting the Session House through the entrance and immediately turn to your left, there you will see what remains of the East wall of the Kirk and will learn about important stories associated with the history of Kilbride.

​

To move on to the next station click here

​

This audio clip was read by Julie Ruddock.