Restoring the Heart of Aberdeen

A once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring the Kirk of St Nicholas back to life as a vibrant space for creativity, community and culture.

Kirk of St Nicholas, Aberdeen

Scot-ART are dedicated to delivering a show-stopping audio, visual and interactive experience for visitors and tourists to the Kirk of St Nicholas, providing a historical and educational tour that will identify the importance of the “Mither Kirk” to the city of Aberdeen.

Working with key partners, Scot-ART will combine one of the oldest buildings in Aberdeen with the most modern technology to provide a unique venue and destination. In addition to the tour, the Kirk will play host to a series of cultural and educational events with the aim of attracting visitors and Aberdonians back into the city centre and encouraging them to explore not only the heritage of the Kirk, but also the wider stakeholder connections that exist throughout Aberdeen.

Support the Restoration

The Vision

On entering the Kirk, visitors will be invited to engage with all 101 artefacts held within the building, with interpretation explaining their significance to Aberdeen. Visitors will be encouraged to view and interpret the Mary Jameson needlework panels, recognised as important works dating from the 1660s with both biblical and social connotations.

Guests will be educated on the social structure and significance of the pew seating arrangements within the inner sanctuary, the only building in Scotland designed by James Gibb. The tour will also explore the historical connections between the Kirk and current stakeholders, including The Seven Incorporated Trades, Robert Gordon’s College, The Burgesses of Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council.

Visual effects displaying people of Aberdeen dressed as they would have been circa 1775 will add visual interpretation to the audio descriptions throughout the medieval Kirk.

Moving into the Drums Aisle would lead to exploring significant historical points within the church and Scotland’s history, educating the importance of how these events helped shape Aberdeen. Highlighting William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Rob Roy MacGregor, The declaration of independence and the Reformation……

Culminating in St Johns Chapel (otherwise known as the Oil & Gas Chapel) We will be working in partnership with Steven Rae and Live Events (Spectra) to build a “living” legacy to the Piper Alpha disaster. Delivering on Steven Rae’s much acclaimed speech on his experience and the lessons to be learned. The speech will ensure future generations will be able to learn about what really happened and its long-term effects on those who survived, as well as the effect on the families of those who did not. Combining this with the Live Events team (responsible for Spectra light festival) this will bring the speech to life and provide a real focal point to drive tourist footfall into the Kirk and overspill into other areas of the city centre.

What We Need

As a charity, this was always going to be a massive undertaking, the preservation and repurpose of this iconic building alone comes at a huge cost. In addition to the tours, a wider programme of activities will take place, as outlined on the events page. These will be led by local artists, community organisations and educational groups, and will include a mix of free and ticketed art, music and educational events.

Stakeholder services will continue to be supported, in particular the Kirking of the Seven Trades and the Oil and Gas Remembrance Service. This service honours those who lost their lives at sea and provides an important opportunity for families to come together for remembrance and reflection. Robert Gordon’s College continue to hold their services in the Kirk and so too, do the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Engineers who hold their Armistice Service.

Listed below are the improvements required to revitalise the Kirk and provide the city with an events space unlike any other. Scot-Art’s sole intention is to attract as many people into the city as possible, creating perambulation and foot-fall into the surrounding areas by providing ongoing events, tours and 3rd sector/community space.

Scot-ART has carefully defined the key construction phases so that individuals and organisations can choose to support the elements they feel most strongly about, helping to directly shape the Kirk’s future.