In 1915 Prestwick High School was full of soldiers from the 15th Royal Scots Fusiliers. The nearest church was in Ayr, and it was expensive to get the tram to get to church. If the troops could not get to church then the church would come to the troops. The Chaplain and Rector at Holy Trinity Ayr Rev J. Vavasour Hammond got to work and identified a plot of land which was next to the school, a local architect designed the building and Prestwick Town Council ensured the speedy approval of the plans. Over half the cost was soon raised towards the cost of the building, which was completed in March 1915. Rev Hammond then arranged in June for his curate Rev James Crichton Melville to become the first minister of the first Scottish Episcopal Church in Prestwick, which was dedicated to St Martin. This was fitting as St Martin was the soldier saint. The church was opened up for other denominations to use and the troops used it for recreation and reading as well as for church services, something that is now back in fashion.
The troops left, the congregation grew until 1926 when they moved to the present St Ninians Church. However St Martins was bought by a group of local Christians, moved to a new site where it was used as the local Brethren Meeting Hall until 1959, when it was replaced by a new hall
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On June 21st St Ninian’s Prestwick engaged in activities which looked back at 100 years of presence of the Scottish Episcopal Church in Prestwick and looked forward to the mission to which it is called now. Our facilitator Gill Young was with us in the morning for the signing off of our year 1 MAP and Bishop Gregor, South Ayrshire Provost Helen Moodie and local church leaders joined members of St Ninian’s past and present for an evening service of celebration and BBQ afterwards. The original church, St Martins, was planted by Holy Trinity Ayr in 1915 for soldiers from the 15th Royal Scots Fusiliers stationed in Prestwick (who couldn’t afford the tram fare to Ayr) and became St Ninian’s when the present building was consecrated in 1926.
Bishop Gregor and Jane Ross (present rector of St Ninian’s) cutting the cake.
(more information about the history of St Ninian’s is available on the website
www.StNiniansPrestwick.org.uk)
