Inchture is a destination for travellers who do not want to reduce historical settlement remains to a single period. Mains of Inchture includes enclosures and settlement remains from prehistoric and medieval times. There is also evidence of church history in the parish of Inchture, along with a designed landscape and old trees. The range of themes therefore spans a long archaeological period, dated reconstructions and an explicitly uncertain interpretation of medieval building fabric. Its appeal lies in the shifts between settlement history, religious heritage and landscape.
Settlement remains and a cross-slab
The period covered at Mains of Inchture is particularly broad: the enclosures and settlement remains there date from prehistoric to medieval times. This combination offers an exceptionally rare opportunity to trace the development of rural settlements over a long period. This makes Mains of Inchture interesting for a cultural-historical interpretation that goes beyond a single building or date.
A different kind of evidence is the symbol-bearing Pictish cross-slab in the Kinnaird Mausoleum, the former Rossie Church, in the parish of Inchture. It probably dates from the 8th or 9th century AD. Compared with the broad period covered by Mains, its dating is considerably narrower, but remains explicitly probable. The two themes offer different perspectives: the long-term development of rural settlements and a single symbol-bearing object from the early medieval period.
Churches and their different layers of time
Church history offers further clearly dated milestones. Rossie Church was a medieval parish church and was abandoned in 1670; around 1870, it was rebuilt as a memorial chapel. The sequence clearly distinguishes the church’s abandonment from its later reconstruction as a place of remembrance. Inside are several unsigned marble monuments and busts from the late 19th century; all the works are by William Brodie. The site thus brings together the church’s medieval history, its reconstruction and its late-19th-century furnishings.
Inchture Parish Church offers a different point of reference in time: it was rebuilt in 1835, while the main building may incorporate parts of the medieval church. This remains a possibility, not a certainty. The comparison therefore keeps two different claims distinct: a specific date of reconstruction and the possible presence of medieval building fabric.
Designed landscape and old trees
The landscape adds another perspective on time. The designed landscape of Rossie Priory in the parish of Inchture was laid out between 1800 and 1833 and makes an outstanding contribution to the surrounding landscape. This is a dated designed landscape, unlike the settlement remains, which span a broad period. Inchture Park is home to giant sequoias over 160 years old. Here, the focus is not on a reconstruction or an archaeological period, but on the age of the trees. Those wishing to give different weight to cultural and natural themes will find distinct points of interest without conflating them.
Travelling by bus
Bus routes 16/16B/16X run via Inchture on the Perth–St Madoes–Errol–Longforgan–Dundee route. Check the latest departure times before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Blairgowrie and Rattray, Scone, Blair Atholl, Coupar Angus, Kinross, Dunkeld, Invergowrie, Fowlis Wester.
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