The Herald

They represent the work of some of the nation's finest craftsmen. Yet the church buildings of Scotland, which number roughly 3500 across the country, are under threat as never before. According to the Scottish Civic Trust, which advises the government on conservation, some 300 of these are on their at-risk register: buildings that are falling into serious disrepair because they are not in use. Scotland does have a particular problem because of the history of disruption and schism in the Church of Scotland in the nineteenth century. Since the 1920s, the Kirk has been seeking to get rid of what is described as an over- provision of church buildings, often by merging congregations.