User:MauraWen/sandbox St Margaret Church, Lunna

St Margaret's Church, Lunna (or Lunna Kirk) is a small village church located in the village of Lunna on the north mainland of island of Shetland, in the UK. The church dates from 1753 and is the oldest church on Shetland still in constant use.

Description
St Margaret's church (Church of Scotland) is located in the north mainland of Shetland near the ferry port for Whalsay. The site of the church is the the Hunter family burial ground which was in use before the present church was constructed in 1753. "Although no previous church was in use at Lunna in 1753, the existing church was not the first to be built here. Adjacent to the churchyard is a large irregular mound (probably of prehistoric origin) on which a chapel with an enclosure had been built perhaps in the 12th century. Its foundations are clearly visible as a rectangular building with an entrance to the southwest." " Only one medieval church remains in use, Lunna Kirk in the north mainland, near the ferry port for Whalsay. This had survived as the burial chapel of the Hunter lairds and was made into a Presbyterian kirk in 1753. It is a simple rectangular church, probably constructed in the late middle ages and originally dedicated to St Margaret."

"Still in use as the parish church. It was built in 1753, possibly on medieval foundations, by Robert Hunter of Lunna as a simple rectangular church with a porch, and it was renovated both in 1830 and 1933. An oddity is the small annexe on the south side with a small opening into the church, which has been interpreted both as a 'squint' for the priest to keep an eye on the altar while resting and as a 'leper hole', a small opening in the wall of the church through which the afflicted could listen to the service and receive communion without distressing the rest of the congregation. On balance the former explanation is thought to be the most likely."

"Built into the wall of the porch are two 17th century graveslabs, which came from the Hunter family mausoleum that existed before the church was built. Inside the church, a fine 18th-century memorial is set into the wall beside the pulpit."