Cemetery wall work is to start
Awaiting stone delivery
A 300–year old cemetery wall knocked down by a truck driver is finally to be restored to its former glory this summer.
A large section of the perimeter wall at St Ninians Old Parish Church was reduced to rubble when a Mercedes truck reversed in to it, knocking it down.
The entrance to the cemetery was flattened, including a brickwork arch and steel gate, last October.
Work to fix the crumbled wall was held up as the land owner, Stirling Council, were obligated to restore the wall as closely as possible to its original specifications.
Now the authority says that the correct material to restore the A–listed structure at the ancient burial ground has been sourced and work to rebuild the wall could start in a matter of weeks.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “Due to the wall’s listed status, our focus and duty has been to locate and acquire replacement stone which is as close to an exact match visually and materially to the original wall as possible.
“Following an extensive petrographic analysis, the correct stone needed to reinstate the wall has now been identified and we are currently awaiting delivery.
“We aim to complete the repair work over the course of the summer.”
Stirling Council consulted with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) last October on their recommendations for the scope and method of remedial works to the damage.
Given its listed status and location within a Conservation Area the graveyard wall and gate will have to be reinstated to exactly match the originals.
The section of brickwork was left in ruins, just yards from headstones and ancient graves.
The cemetery is believed to be one of the most ancient sites in Stirling. Stirling Council archaeologist, Dr Murray Cook, reckons it dates back to around 1200 years with the wall aged at about 300 years.
The church was built in 1751 but the history of the congregation dates back to 1241 when Bishop David de Bernham of St Andrews dedicated the medieval Church of St Ninians.
In the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, the retreating army of Bonnie Prince Charlie blew up the church of St Ninians where they had been storing munitions. Only the tower survived and can be seen to this day.