Culross Abbey: Church of Scotland sells 800-year-old building in Outlander town for just £35,000

The grade A-listed Culross Abbey, which was founded by Malcolm, earl of Fife in 1217-1218, has been put on the market by the Church of Scotland.

The 808-year-old building is marketed as “an extended, detached church steeped in centuries of rich history, featuring stunning architectural beauty and offering commanding views of the picturesque Culross coast”.

The sale comes as the Kirk grapples with modernising the way it delivers worship amid shrinking congregations, a drop in income and a cut to minister numbers.

READ MORE: Historic village speaks out over threat to 13th-century Scottish abbey as Kirk considers closures

The historic freestanding abbey is situated in Culross - a Royal burgh since 1588 that has featured heavily in the hugely popular Outlander TV series. The nearby West Kirk - a ruined church - has been among filming locations.

The abbey site features the ruins of a Cistercian monastery, which are managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

The abbey holds the vault of Sir George Bruce, an early industrialist who developed a visionary system of coal mining at the village, and his wife Margaret. A line of praying statues, which represent their eight children, stand in front of the tomb.

A Church of Scotland statement said Culross Abbey had the consent to be used for other purposes, such as a creche, day nursery, museum, art galley or library.

A Kirk spokesman told The Courier: “The church is going through a monumental period of change as it reconfigures and reshapes for mission and service around fewer buildings and fewer charges.

“Fife Presbytery produced a five-year mission plan to allocate limited resources to parishes and congregations and established a historic churches working group to examine the future use of historic buildings like Culross Abbey, which has a long and deep history.

“The working group affirmed a Fife Presbytery decision to release the building as a full-time place of worship by December 2027.

“We recognise that this beautiful building has meaning and value to the local community, but the congregation and office bearers are deeply conscious of the lack of people available to take on the heavy responsibility of running it as an active place of worship.

“The church is committed to securing the best future for all historic buildings and will always seek to deal with them sensitively and appropriately.”

Members of Culross Community Council has previously argued against the abbey’s sale, saying they were “dismayed” by the move.

Diane MacKenzie, community council member, had said: “It is widely recognised as a sacred and special place and one which welcomes visitors from around the globe.”