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Historic Church Linked to 'Sunset Song' Sold
15 May
Summary
- Arbuthnott Church, inspiration for 'Sunset Song', has been sold.
- The author of the 1932 novel, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, is buried there.
- Community efforts to acquire the A-listed church were unsuccessful.
Arbuthnott Church, a historic site with deep connections to Lewis Grassic Gibbon's celebrated novel "Sunset Song," has been sold. The novel, published in 1932, drew inspiration from this Kincardineshire church, and Gibbon, whose real name was James Leslie Mitchell, is buried in its graveyard.
The Church of Scotland confirmed the sale of the A-listed building. A local community group had explored options for taking over the church, but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. The church body stated it needed to reduce its property holdings.
"Sunset Song" is the first book in "A Scots Quair" trilogy, chronicling the life of Chris Guthrie on a farm in the Mearns. The fictional estate of Kinraddie in the novel was based on Arbuthnott, where Gibbon spent his childhood. He died at the young age of 33 in 1935.
The earliest parts of Arbuthnott Church date back to the late 1200s. The novel's influence was reignited by a highly acclaimed 1971 television adaptation, and the book was later included on the Higher English syllabus. In 2016, "Sunset Song" was voted Scotland's favourite book in a BBC poll.
