Rutherford Parish Church has been a landmark building in Rosemount since it was built in 1870.
One of the most imposing features of the C-listed building, which sits on the corner of Loanhead Terrace and Rosemount Place, is the spire.
That spire, its clock and bell were all paid for through public donations in Aberdeen at a time where religion underpinned Victorian society.
Rutherford Church underwent a number of changes over the decades, both through name and function, and was one of the first churches in Aberdeen to embrace modern times.
In the late 1980s, under Reverend David Graham, the church shook off the shackles of tradition and became a multi-functional worship and leisure space known as Rutherford Celebration Centre.
Some Aberdonians might remember the internal stairwell was transformed into a whale, which led visitors upstairs to the church’s Bible Village.
Through the “flair and vision” of Rev Graham, the church’s gallery had been transformed into a Biblical museum to make the Bible more accessible, and was the first of its kind on Britain.
When nearby Rosemount Church on Caroline Place closed in 1993, the congregation amalgamated with Rutherford and the name changed again to Rosemount Parish Church.
But it wasn’t immune from closure either. Amid dwindling congregations, Rosemount Parish Church closed in 2005, 135 years after it opened.
The building has seen a new lease of life in recent times as a dentist, spa, offices and flats.
We’ve gone back through the archives to dig out photos of the busy church back when it was the centre of a thriving community.
Pictures: Rutherford Church
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