About two miles inland from Inverbervie, lies the house and lands of Arbuthnott, which have been in the hands of the family of that name since the 12th century.
The jewel of Arbuthnott has to be the little church of St Ternan. The pointed chancel arch dates from 1242 while the Lady Chapel (or Arbuthnott Aisle), with priest's house above, is a remarkable survivor of the Reformation and dates from 1500. Flanked by a bell-tower and sturdily buttressed, it was built by Sir Robert Arbuthnott and looks a lot more like a tower house than church.
The church was heavily restored in the 19th century.
The church features in Sunset Song, the novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, and which traces the life of the central character, Chris Guthrie and her farming family in The Mearns in the early years of the twentieth century.
The
priests house above the Chapel
Sunset
Song is part of a trilogy of novels - A Scots Quair - published
in 1946 which chart the social changes wrought on Scotland by World War
1 and the Depression and explore the clashes of culture and language.
It was the author's tribute to his native 'Kinraddie' (the farm where
he spent his childhood) and caused a sensation when this first book of
the trilogy was published in 1932. His unique powers as a writer are indeed
most prominent in this book, in the subtle style blending Scots and English,
the riveting storyline, vibrant characterisation - particularly that of
the heroine, Chris Guthrie - and the setting described with a sensitivity
heightened by exile.
Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pen name of Leslie Mitchell and he is buried here in this churchyard in the heart of The Mearns. Close by, adjacent to the parish hall, is a visitor centre devoted to the author.
The pictures were taken on a June evening at around 10:00pm. The day had been glorious and the skies were once more cloudless with the lowering sun catching the red sandstone of the kirk.
To me, its what summers in this part of Scotland are all about: endless days and light that has a sharpness and clarity seldom found elsewhere.
For a map of the area, click here.
