Roofless eighteenth-century walls and a dense memorial landscape preserve the site of Selkirk’s successive parish churches.
Quick facts
- Date
- Kirk 1748; earlier memorials and later boundary work
- Architect / designer
- Builders and memorial masons unrecorded
- Type
- Roofless parish church and historic burial ground
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB40567)
- OS grid reference
- NT 47014 28389
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Rubble church walls retain round-arched openings and a stepped bellcote, while the kirkyard contains carved stones, railed enclosures and monuments. Boundary walls, gates and ironwork make the burial ground a coherent architectural enclosure.
Its story
Churches occupied the site from the medieval period, and the present ruin dates from 1748. Worship later moved elsewhere; the kirkyard continued as a place of burial and memory, with figures including Andrew Lang and James Brown commemorated here.
Why it is included
The site brings medieval tradition, eighteenth-century worship, funerary art and modern civic care together in one compact record.
What to notice
- Roofless rubble nave and bellcote.
- Early carved stones within the ruin.
- Railed family enclosures and formal gateway.
Reading the surroundings
Treat the kirkyard as a place of remembrance and possible structural hazard. Keep to established routes, avoid unstable masonry and memorials, and respect funerals, descendants and council safety work.
Timeline
- 1748 A new parish kirk was built on the long-established worship site.
- 1829 Repairs renewed the roof and introduced heating stoves.
- 1860 Regular worship transferred from the old building.
- 2026 The council scheduled another programme of memorial-safety testing in the kirkyard.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Some early historical associations are traditional, and memorial condition can change; visitors should follow current safety notices.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Selkirk Auld Kirk and Kirkyard, LB40567 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Scottish Borders Council: Selkirk conservation area — Place relationship and recognition of the old church and kirkyard within the historic core.
- Scottish Borders Council: headstone testing — Current council care and 2026 memorial-safety programme.
Location
OS grid reference NT 47014 28389 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; the independent source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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