Hobkirk & Southdean Parish
The two parishes of Hobkirk and Southdean were united in 1995 and meet for weekly worship in Hobkirk church. The congregation of Hobkirk & Southdean has a unitary constitution with a Kirk Session of 13 members and a membership of 120.
- Hobkirk Church: Built on a Christian site dating back 900 years, the present church building dates from 1869, in the Gothic style, featuring a tower designed by David Rhind. Stones from an earlier church building are incorporated in the font. The bell is inscribed “I was made for Hobkirk in 1745.”
- Southdean Church: This is now retained on a “care and maintenance” basis but is still used for special services. It was built in 1876 to a design by George Grant, close to the sites of 12th and 17th century churches. It has several interesting architectural features, including a stained-glass window dedicated to James Thomson, write of “Rule Britannia”.
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| Hobkirk Church | Southdean Church |
Ruberslaw Parish
The three parishes of Bedrule, Denholm and Minto were linked in 1975 and were united as Ruberslaw Parish Church in 2004, when they were also linked with Hobkirk & Southdean Parish. The united congregation of Ruberslaw Parish has a unitary constitution with a Kirk Session of 12 members drawn from all three communities. The membership numbers 203 from the three communities and a number with long-standing connections who live in neighbouring towns.
- Bedrule Church: There has been a place of worship in Bedrule since the late 11th century. The present building dates from 1804, was upgraded in 1877 and extensively re-modelled to its present form in 1914. It sits on an elevated site overlooking the Rulewater valley and in the shadow of Ruberslaw. Seating about 150, it has some remarkable stained-glass windows, including the Bedrule Guild Centenary window, installed in 1992 and the Turnbull window of 2019, gifted by the Turnbull family in North Carolina, USA. There is a long-standing association with the Turnbull family dating back to Bishop Turnbull who established Glasgow University in the 15th century. Each year Turnbulls from all over the world visit the church. [Pictures: exterior and interior]
- Denholm Church was built by public subscription following the Disruption of 1843 when one third of the established church broke away until the reunification in 1929. It was opened in 1845 and has since had various refurbishments, most recently in 2011. Although it has a relatively plain interior, it has an attractive circular stained-glass window, known as the “Ruth Window”, gifted by a former Minister Rev J W Ross in memory of his wife.] Adjoining the church is the Church Hall – the Pitt Memorial Hall which is used on a regular basis for meetings of church organisations and community groups.[Pictures exterior and interior
- Minto Church is the main feature of the village, also designed by W H Playfair, in the Gothic style and situated close to the former village school. Like the other churches in the parish, it has been gifted a number of artefacts over the years. To the rear there is a very fine war memorial featuring a life-size statue of a British soldier sculpted by Thomas J Clapperton who was also responsible for several memorials in the area. [Picture exterior and interior]