St Mary's Church, Cove Bay - History of The Church

History of The Church

When the Church was built in approximately 1864, The fishing village of Cove Bay (which is now a suburb of Aberdeen) was largely made up of imported English fishermen and their families for whom the Episcopal (Anglican) faith was a central feature of life. The building originally served a dual purpose as a church and a boys' school, and has been an important part of the village's life for over a century.

From the very beginning there was a strong connection to St Peter's Episcopal Church in Torry. Often when there was no priest at St Mary’s, members would walk along the coastal path to St Peter's for baptisms, confirmations, weddings or funerals.

The church building is a granite building with a slate roof and a bell. The interior pitched roof, is open, i.e., the wooden rafters and wooden roof boards are visible. It can seat approximately 100 persons. The Church was built with a rose window at the east end where the boys’ school met, and a raised, three-sided apse at the west end, where the original altar was situated.

In the 1890s a new school was built in Cove, and the building became solely a church.

The apse walls are thought to have been originally painted in 1870. The paintings were subsequently covered up, about 1924, when it was thought they were too “Catholic”. In 1929 six stained glass windows were put into the building.

At some point in its history, the interior was re-oriented to face east, reflecting the traditional layout of an Episcopal church. The rear of the church was partitioned off and became a storage area for many years.

About 1990, the original vestry, situated off the south side, was converted to a kitchen, disabled toilet and a Church entrance. Disabled access was made via a ramp leading to the new side door. At that time an emergency door was established through the north wall.

By the late 1990s, through cultural changes and shifts in population, the congregation had dwindled to a handful of faithful members, and St Mary’s building was in a sad state of disrepair.

St Mary’s Church is now the last remaining public building of the old village. The Church building is a B-Listed historic building.