A visit to the picturesque Royal Burgh of Culross is not complete until you have walked around the Abbey. We are familiar with the large Cistercian Abbeys in Yorkshire but Culross is on a much smaller scale. It is worth the climb up a steep cobbled road from the town to view the ruins. Entry is free.
Following the Scottish reformation in 1560 the abbey church was used as a parish church; this status was officially denominated as Church of Scotland by Act of Parliament in 1633. Inside there is not only plenty of evidence of a modern thriving kirk but also many interesting artifacts – notably a large memorial to Sir George Bruce (builder of Culross Palace) and his wife Margaret. The most remarkable feature is the eight kneeling statues, representing the couple’s children as adults, lined up in front of the memorial. There are many smaller fascinating details around the church. The graveyard includes the black marble gravestone of Colour Sergeant Stewart McPherson, who won the Victoria Cross at Lucknow in India in 1857 but survived to see out his days in Culross where he died aged 73 in 1892.
