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Chapel Green
How the ancient Chapel looks today and how it may have looked in 1093
Earlsferry Beacon, just off the point at Chapel Green
Each time Earlsferry draws me back for an all too short return visit I’m astounded by the calm, the serenity and the beauty of this ancient place.
When I was a small boy I remember walking on the beach with an elderly friend, who in his lifetime had traveled to most every corner of the world. He made the comment, “I’ve seen many beautiful places but I’ve yet to see one that has what Earlsferry has.” How right he was. There’s just so much about Earlsferry and it’s surroundings that words can’t describe. It’s a unique place and I was indeed fortunate in that I was born and grew up there. Most of my contemporaries, except a very few, are gone but Earlsferry never loses it’s charm and it’s magic. People come and people go. Over time the lifestyle of the residents has changed but Earlsferry the village remains essentially the same. Well almost. I always feel that something has been lost when I see a vacant place where an old home used to be or a beautiful old mansion house or a building is either no longer there or has been split up and converted into flats.
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." For 28 idyllic years I called the village home. For another 54 years I’ve been gone from Earlsferry but not for one day of these 54 years have I not awakened in the middle of the night to find myself transported and back there in time. I may not be in Earlsferry in person and I may be many thousands of miles away but Earlsferry, my first love, has always possessed me. Some loves you get over and life goes on but I've yet to get over Earlsferry. There's just no "getting over" or "away" from Earlsferry. After this length of time I know "I" never will.
Earlsferry is a place where time essentially stands still. One has only to meander along the beautiful shell scattered golden sand beach and on to Chapel Green to see the remains of the ancient chapel where carved into the gable is the date 1093. That’s almost a thousand years ago.
When I was a boy in addition to the one gable there were partial remains of the side walls that were visible. In the space of my lifetime despite dabs of cement now and then being applied to stave off erosion the remains keep crumbling and the structure becomes less and less. Grass now grows over what was visible of the side walls in my earlier years to the extent that all that can now be seen of the side walls is the outline of the foundation.
The gazillion pound location of the ruined chapel commands the best and completely unobstructed view of Earlsferry and Elie, the harbour, the Lighthouse, the May island and the islands and southern shores of the Firth of Forth. Imagine back in time to the days when the Chapel was built and how wayfarers over the centuries used it on a day to day basis. It’s really sad that the chapel has been allowed to deteriorate to the point that all that’s left is a bit of one crumbling gable and bumps on the ground that are covered by wild grasses.
Other parts of the world may be in the doldrums but today Scotland is "on the move."
The timing is right to give the Chapel a new lease on life by building a new one.
Imagine a chapel of modern design with east facing windows in the gable to view the beautiful bay and the village.
A new Chapel by the Sea on this tiny spot of heaven on earth would provide starry-eyed couples from near and afar with a most meaningful place to wed.
A Wayfarers Chapel made from the rugged dark navy-blue whin-stone of the area with leaded and stained glass windows, carved heavy oak and iron studded door, internal furnishings to match, slate roof etc. would be a landmark inspiring sight and a wonderful asset to Earlsferry ----
---- one that just might last for another thousand years.
What a setting for a chapel wedding
What a setting for a wedding chapel
The Chapel by the Sea at Chapel Green, from Earlsferry beach |
