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St Andrew’s Parish Church, Moffat, with its huge red stone tower, dominates the approach to the town along the A701 from the M74 and the south. Even if it had been built in a more retiring position it would be difficult to overlook the largest parish church in South West Scotland.
The first recorded Parish Church, in what was known as the Auldton of Moffat, was already built by 1177, when it is recorded as being transferred to the Bishop of Glasgow. In the 1600s it was used as a prison for Covenanters en route to their execution.
In 1790 the prime site opposite the Black Bull Hotel was given by the Earl of Hopetoun for the building of a new church. This was duly built, with seats for 1,000 people. The church was topped off with a spire, which carried the Earl of Hopetoun’s crest of a flying spur. As a result the church became known to townsfolk as the Flying Spur Kirk.
The Flying Spur Kirk did not last for long, being replaced by a new parish church on a site immediately to its south. St Andrew’s Parish Church, Moffat, opened its doors for worship for the first time on 23 September 1887, just 97 years after the Kirk it replaced.
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