Memories of Juniper Green
I remember... St Margaret's Church
From a card from Rev Buchanan to his parishioners celebrating Christmas 1927 showing the porch of St Margaret's Church
I remember, I remember the Church where I was baptised, St. Margaret's Church, Juniper Green. It was a beautiful Church, a Gothic structure, with pink sandstone pillars down each side and, of course, lit by gaslight. It had a beautiful stained glass window depicting St. Margaret at the top holding in her right hand a Cross and, in her left hand, the Bible with below, four life-sized figures:
- Moses earning the tablets of stone, the Ten Commandments;
- Christ in sacrificial red garments and above him the Lamb bearing the Cross;
- St. John the beloved disciple; and
- St. Paul writing his letters to the early followers.
I loved looking up at that window, especially in the morning with the sun behind.
We had a series of excellent ministers, all of whom left their mark.
The first I remember was Mr W.B.C. Buchanan. He was marvellous with children and youth and started the first Boy Scout group in Juniper Green. When there was an eclipse, he would walk us all up to Torphin with our bits of smoked glass (smoked over a candle) and I always cut the bridge of my nose wit the glass. At Easter too we were taken up Torphin to roll our Easter eggs (coloured, hard boiled) which, when they broke, we ate for breakfast.
Sunday School picnics were always exciting. One year we went to Aberdour by train over the Forth Bridge (the first time for some of us). What a thrill. We all had our 'tinnies' tied round our necks for our tea and everyone got a bag of eats. Another exciting picnic was to Ratho - by horse-drawn barge from the Boathouse at Stoneyport. Johnnie Bryce, one of the farmers in Juniper Green, took us down to Stoneyport on one of his horse-drawn lorries with forms strapped on to it. We all wanted a turn at leading the horse, so we really went at walking pace!
I loved going to Church and Sunday School, but it was a very serious business then. We were not allowed even to whisper. I loved the evening services when the lights were lit - gas of course - it was a lovely sight, and during the sermon the Beadle would come round with his pole and lower each light separately. Later on I sang in the Choir and one Easter we sang "From Olivet to Calvary", and we used to sing the Lord's Prayer but not to the tune Cliff Richard uses! We also sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" in Latin. At that time too I was a Primary Sunday School teacher and one of my girls eventually became an Elder!
Now St. Margaret's Church is St. Margaret's Court - sheltered housing for the elderly of which I am one. Instead of sitting in front of the pulpit listening to the sermon, I now sit above the pulpit - or rather where it was! But all is not lost. Thanks to the kind people who record the services and copy tapes, I can still listen to a sermon each day from any one of our recent ministers at Juniper Green Parish Church.