Churches & Places of Worship

Pulteneytown & Thrumster Church History

Pulteneytown Parish Church - History
The church was opened for worship in 1842 - a new church for a new town. The settlement of Pulteneytown had been built by the British Fisheries Society to accommodate the many people who came to Wick to find work at "the fishng". Wick was rapidly becoming the most important herring port in Europe.

Pultenetown has been described as "the first planned industrial estate in Britain". It was built entirely south of the Wick river which prior to this had been a green field site. Thomas Telford was in charge of the lay-out of the new settlement and Argyle Square was the cenre-piece of the residential area. the new church was to be an integral part of the square. The church cost £1600 and there was a great excitement as large gatherings of adults and children met. However, 1843 was to see a major split in the Scottish Church, called the disruption (adispute over the rights of Lairds to select Ministers). As many of the new residents had been evicted from their homes during 'The Clearances' it was not surprising that most of the congregation was 'swept away' to form a new congregation in the newly formed Free Church - in which lairds would be afforded no such rights.
Times were difficult and irtt was a ling time before the new congregation got established. In 1878 they finally paid off the debt on the building and became the Parish Church for Pultenetytown.
Under the Ministry of Rev. alexander Ross there were no major renovations in the Church over 100 years ago. Since then an attractive suite of halls have been built tot he rear of the church. the current renovations to the church are the most extensive undertaken for over a century

Pulteneytown and Thrumster Parish Church, as it is known today is the culmination of the uniting of various churches over the years for various reasons.  The present congregation itself having four changes of name prior to what it is currently known as Viz:
1842 to 1878 Pulteneytown Chapel
1878 to 1929 Pulteneytown Parish Church
1929 to 1961 Pulteneytown St Andrews Church
1961 to 1990 Wick St Andrews & Thrumster Church
1990 - to date Pulteneytown & Thrumster Parish Church when it was united with Wick Central Church a few hundred yards across the road.