A holiday feast for the eyes: Take a drone tour of the Kirk - Action News
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A holiday feast for the eyes: Take a drone tour of the Kirk

When Scottish immigrants in St. Johns set about rebuilding their church after the Great Fire of 1892, they decided to really go for it. So we're going for a tour like you've never seen before: flying with a drone's-eye view from the underground foundations to the top of the bell tower.

Fly through St. John's 'monument to Scotland' from the underground foundations to the top of the bell tower

Take a flying tour of the Kirk, St. Johns glorious and gothic monument to Scotland

9 months ago
Duration 4:32
Scottish immigrants built the towering red-brick church known as the Kirk in downtown St. Johns to make a statement. And it shows. To celebrate the churchs 180th anniversary, were taking you on a tour like youve never seen before: From the top of the tallest bell tower in Atlantic Canada, to the underground foundation from 1843.

When Scottish immigrants in St. John's set about rebuilding their church after the Great Fire of 1892, they decided to really go for it.

Scottish merchants with deep pockets helped bankroll grander designs than the relatively small Presbyterian community could otherwise afford.

They imported boatloads of red bricks, kilned in Scotland and sailed across the Atlantic. They hired a renowned architect who would go on to design the Peace Tower in Ottawa. They filled their church with some of the finest stained glass windows Scottish craftspeople had ever produced.

"They really wanted to make a statement that they were bringing Scotland here to St. John's," saidHeather MacLellan, board member at St. Andrew's Church.

"This is our monument to Scotland."

A red brick church, seen from above.
St. Andrew's Church, known as the Kirk, was built in 1896 on the foundations of the first Presbyterian church in St. John's. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

This year, St. Andrew's Church is celebrating 180 years in St. John's. The first Kirk was built in 1843, on the site where the current Kirk stands today.

The original church and its two subsequent iterations were destroyed by fire. After the Great Fire consumed the third Kirk, the congregation returned to the site of the original church and rebuilt on its stone foundations.

Those foundations are still visible beneath The Kirk today, as are intricate Celtic orbs and crosses that decorate the highest corners of the tallest bell tower in Atlantic Canada.

Such fascinating features aren't easily glimpsed by passersby or even keen-eyed visitors to the church. So we're bringing you a tour of the Kirk like no one has seen before: with a drone's eye view.

Watch the video aboveto enjoy this holiday feast for the eyes.

A map of downtown St. John's from the 1850's, with the location of the original Kirk marked in red.
A map of downtown St. John's from around 1850 shows the location of the original Scottish Presbyterian church, known even then as the Kirk. Its location is marked in red on the bottom left side of the map. The modern Kirk stands on this site as well. (Submitted: St. Andrew's Church)

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