Midmar Parish Church – - Atlas Obscura

Midmar Parish Church

A church with its very own stone circle  

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Midmar Parish Church was built in 1787 under the ministry of Reverend John Ogilvie. Quite why he chose to build the church right next to a 4000 year old Bronze Age stone circle is a bit of a mystery. Such things were usually seen as Pagan and feared in those days. Perhaps he wanted to prove Christianity’s strength over Paganism. Maybe he simply fell in love with this beautiful setting. Either way there is something magical about this special place.

The circle is 17 meters in diameter. It has a large recumbent stone weighing between 10-20 tons with two standing stones on either side of it. This stone hasn’t fallen over and is a common feature of stone circles in this area.  One can only marvel at how the people of the time managed to erect and transport stones to this place without the technology we have today. 

Stone circles like this were used for astronomical purposes for when to plant crops and harvest them. The circle was probably in an open place where stars and planetary alignments would have been visible. Today it is sheltered by trees. 

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