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From
The
Herald of 31st. May, 2002:
Parish
revival to be built on foundation of Pulpit Rock
by
JAMES FREEMAN
THE
Pulpit Rock, one of Scotland's most stunning and unusual locations
for preaching, is to be restored for public use.
Known
in Gaelic legend as Clach nan Tarbh, the Stone of the Bulls, the
house-sized pyramid of rock on Loch Lomondside, south of Ardlui, has
been hidden by dense wood for decades.
Its
unique history has already been revisited by the Rev Dane Sherrard,
minister of Arrochar and Luss, and his congregation, who gathered in
the natural amphitheatre before the stone for communion in the
pouring rain two weeks ago.
Friends
of Loch Lomond, the campaigning group, now plans to cut back the
oak, birch and alder scrub which hides the rock and will also
approach the trunk roads authority about the possibility of having a
lay-by built in the vicinity. It has the blessing of James Fisher, a
farmer at Stuckendroin, who owns the land.
The
rock was first used for preaching in 1825 after locals, mainly
shepherds, in the northern part of Arrochar parish complained to the
Rev Peter Proudfoot, their minister, about the eight-mile walk to and
from their sabbath devotions.
If
they built him a vestry and a pulpit, replied Mr Proudfoot, he would
come and preach to them.
With
money from two local worthies, Watson of Glenfalloch House and
Grieve of Keilatur, the local men quarried out a 10ft-high hole in
the face of the rock.
It
was large enough to house the minister, an elder and the precentor
who led the singing. Explosives were used, and a man called Robert
MacFarlane was blinded by the blast.
A
wooden platform with a pulpit was bolted to the rockface and a door
was actually fitted to the hole in the rock, a metal hinge of which
is still there.
Services
were held during the summer months for 75 years, until a mission
church was established at Ardlui in 1895. At some point, the wooden
door and pulpit platform were used by tinkers for fuel.
In
more recent times, tour bus drivers have mentioned the religious
site in passing but the rock, about 100 yards off the A82, has been
hidden from view.
Hannah
Stirling, co-founder and president of Friends of Loch Lomond, said:
"I was first introduced to the history of the rock many years
ago by Professor Sir Robert Grieve and it has fascinated me since.
"With
the advent of the national park, restoring visibility and access to
the Pulpit Rock has become our latest project. This is a vital part
of Loch Lomond history which will add to the richness of any
visitor's experience."
For
Mr Sherrard, who has been instrumental in the revival of Arrochar
parish, the service at Pulpit Rock was one of a series of
"different" observances he has devised while restoration
work goes on at the historic Luss parish church, including one on
board a Loch Lomond passenger boat.
"We
intend to repeat the experience," he said. "There is a
long tradition in Scotland of outdoor worship, including the
experiences of the Covenanters. This was much later but it was in
that tradition.
"The
service was greatly enjoyed by the 50 who attended, despite the rain
and the midges."
Mr
Sherrard did not preach from the hole in the rock itself, but from a
grassy knoll in front of it.
His
congregation were on the slope above him - "the way it should
be", he said.
He
added: "When Mr Proudfoot preached, the services could last a week.
"Family
members would return home for communion, there would be preparatory
services at the rock on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, communion on
the Sunday and a thanksgiving service on the Monday.
"Behind
the Pulpit Rock a stall sold bread, cheese and whisky which led
someone to observe that 'the Lord is at the front, but the Devil is behind'."
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