The Hatton Spire

Every time I drive along the Hatton Straight on my way home I see the spire of the West Church and know that I am nearly there. The spire has become for me an icon of the village. As I looked through the collection of photographs which I have taken over the past couple of years, the West Church spire appears over and over again. But for how much longer?

A For Sale sign has now appeared outside the church and it is expected that houses will be built on the site. Hatton will look very different without the spire. You can read on the Cruden Parish Church Website about the history of the church and why it came to be built in what was in 1843 the tiny community of Hatton, little more than the Mill. The present building was erected in 1884 but is now no longer needed by the congregation of Cruden Parish Church and they have put it up for sale.

Writing in 1912 in his book, Cruden and Its Ministers, Rev Adam Mackay says, “The church is very pretty – a neat structure of Gothic design, surmounted by a spire.” he goes on to record that in 1896 the clock and bell were added. In 1920 the World War I Memorial Tablet was dedicated.