St Mary’s Church (Haddington)

📌 Haddington, East Lothian
★★★

With an idyllic setting overlooking the River Tyne, St Mary’s Church in Haddington is Scotland’s longest parish church, just beating St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. Part of the building’s fabric dates back to the late 14th century, when it functioned as a collegiate church. But much of the structure was destroyed in the 1540s during the English Siege of Haddington. Only the nave was immediately salvageable, going on to serve as the town’s parish church for the next four centuries. But what about the ruins of the rest of the church? Well, the 1970s saw massive restoration take place following some earlier groundwork, bringing the choir, transepts and tower back under one roof. Add in a new organ, clean stonework, colourful flags and an immaculately painted ceiling and the result is magnificent: a warm, spacious and friendly space which must be the envy of countless other parishes. Only by looking very closely do you begin to notice the weathering in certain spots caused by 400 years of being open to the elements.