Cairneymount Church

£2000 and a parcel of land (part of which was occupied by a small row of houses called Cairneymount) was bequeathed to the Heritors of Muiravonside Parish by John G Urquart of Vellore in 1902, for the building of a church on the hill above Maddiston. Mr Urquart felt that Muiravonside Kirk was too far for the people of Maddiston to travel; the church was finished in 1904.

The architect was Mr. J.D. Strang of Falkirk.

A memorial stone was laid by the Rev. John Mc Murtie D.D, Moderator of the General Assembly and in the cavity behind the stone were placed; some coins of the realm, a record of the bequest, and the building of the church, copies of the Scotsman, Falkirk Herald, Peoples Journal and the Magazine Life and Work for July 1904.

Cairneymount Church was a busy place during the thirties, the evening service was held here every Sunday at six o'clock, the people being called to worship by the bell rung by Jim Bryce.

The Sunday school was held here between three and four o'clock.

On the day before the school holidays the children came up the hill for the school service.

In 1973 the church was much altered and became a church hall as well as a church, in 1980 a small hall and toilets were added at the back.

There was at least one house here on the hill before the church was built, I don't know whether it was demolished to make way for the church or not but one of the men who died in the Brickworks explosion at Manuelrigg lived at Cairneymount.

It is possible that the houses were either not lived in any more or pulled down at an earlier date.

The church and grounds have been sold and the church is currently (2010) being changed into two flats.