Wamphray
Our Church in the Glen
A Sense of Place
High in the hills overlooking the Annan valley, a very special church stands, surrounded by archaeology dating back thousands of years, on what is known to have been an important pre Christian spiritual site.
Wamphray Church – Wamphray originating from the Norse name Uamph Fri, or ‘hollow in the glen’ – was constructed in 1834 but has a Mediaeval church beneath the current graveyard and an earlier stone circle in the neighbouring field. The building holds an 8 th century carved stone from a cross shaft as its lintel, one of the best examples of a Norse/Celtic carving of this kind in Scotland.
It stands above an ancient, native woodland which runs along the roaring Wamphray Water and the surrounding landscape is rich in archaeology, with standing stones, the remains of an Iron Age settlement, a Roman camp, a 12 th century motte and bailey and Covenanting connections.
Everyone who visits this place, remarks on its extraordinary energy and atmosphere.
The Opportunity
We have formed a group called The Friends of Wamphray Church which has just six months to raise enough money to buy our church to keep it safe for the community and the wider public. If we don’t succeed, the building and its nine-acre glebe will be put on the open market and lost to the public forever. Disconnecting the church building from its graveyard, its medieval church site, and the field where the Celtic cross and stone circle were located, through a private sale, would ruin this sense of place which is, and has been of such personal significance to so many people through time.
We are calling on everyone who has, or has had, a connection to Wamphray Glen, and anyone who cares about history, heritage, archaeology, and nature conservation to help us.
Who we are
We are a small steering group (applying to become a SCIO) with a broad range of expertise, interests and skills to contribute to this inspiring project. We also have a growing community of interest – who will become members of Friends of Wamphray Church – who have deep roots and affection for Wamphray and can see a future role for this important site offering the public the chance to share and experience it.
Our organisation is also backed by an advisory group, which is already working informally, and includes Galloway Fisheries Trust (who look after the Wamphray Water), Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands, and Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Countryside Team and archaeologist.
Our Vision
With all the other small, rural churches in Annandale already having been sold, Wamphray, with its unique, secluded and scenic location, is uniquely placed as the last remaining hilltop church in the area.
We believe it can remain a special place for life celebrations and events (weddings, funerals, services, community events, concerts, talks etc) and as a base showcasing and interpreting the important history and heritage of the site and the surrounding ancient landscape, which has huge potential to be developed for walking and nature tourism.
Wamphray Water and Glen Nature/Heritage Restoration
We believe there is a potential role for the church to sit in a wider landscape restoration and heritage project. This could provide nature/heritage-based tourism opportunities, with the church as a venue in the heart of an extensive walking/heritage network through Annandale & Eskdale.
Wamphray Church Heritage
The current 19th century church sits above the Wamphray Water beneath Dundoran hill and was built on a much older spiritual site where a druidical stone circle was located in the neighbouring field. A Norse chapel was located further up the glen on Laverhay farm, where the Norse/Celtic stone carving, which currently forms the church lintel, originated.
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Archaeologist Andrew Nicholson believes Old Wamphray is of huge archaeological interest and he would be keen to support any plans for an archaeological investigation in the area. He identifies the Norse/Celtic 8 th century carving on Wamphray Church’s lintel as the best example of a carving of this kind in Scotland, which could be better displayed to reveal the carving on three sides. An important 8 th century hoard found in the field next to the church is currently displayed in Annan Museum.
The churchyard is full of history with the family graves of the Rogerson family, who were physicians to the Emperor of Russia and Catherine the Great; the Johnstone family, lairds of Wamphray; and a monument to the Rt Rev A H Charteris, Founder of The Woman’s Guild and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Film Clips
Wamphray Water Native Woodlands
The native woodlands in Wamphray, particularly alongside the Wamphray Water, could support a riparian planting scheme, recreating an important healthy river and biodiversity corridor through from the Glen and the Moffat hills.
At one time upland Wamphray formed part of the ancient forest of Caledon linked to an extensive woodland covering the south of Scotland from before the 6 th century. Centuries later, an ancient oak wood followed the Wamphray Water to its source and on into the Moffat Hills. In 1802 the area was stripped of its woodlands by merchant William Fettes who had bought the Wamphray Estate. He sold the timber from the thousands of felled native trees, using the profits to build Fettes College in Edinburgh, before selling the estate to Dr Rogerson.
As we better understand the many benefits to be gained from sympathetically planting and managing woodlands, influencing biodiversity, landscape and carbon capture, the remaining woodlands, and the historical significance of woodlands in the Wamphray area, can be harnessed to increase tree cover in the area – with a focus on riparian and sites of marginal agricultural value.
Walking and Nature/Heritage Based Tourism
We believe there is considerable potential for the church to sit in a wider landscape restoration and heritage project. This could provide nature/heritage-based tourism opportunities, with the church as a venue in the heart of an extensive walking/heritage network through Annandale & Eskdale.
A core path runs through Wamphray Glen incorporating an attractive river walk between Wamphray Gate Farm and the old Mill beneath the church. The walking route includes the Pot, Pan and Cauldron waterfalls and pools which have become popular as wild swimming locations.
As part of a bigger project there is potential to open up the old drove roads that run along the Wamphray hills and down through Annandale along the east side of the Annan valley, forming another arm of the Annandale Way and creating a circular walk.
There are many old drove roads and rights of way connecting Wamphray Church and Glen over the hills to Eskdalemuir with opportunities for walking and equestrian routes through the forestry, discovering traces of old stone circles, iron-age settlements and Roman camps and roads.
Partnership Working
We have been working with Dumfries and Galloway Council’s countryside team to identify opportunities for the expansion of access routes in the area and, as the commercial forestry is harvested, working with forestry companies to open up the old drove roads to Eskdalemuir. Wamphray Church offers the potential to provide a
bunkhouse for walkers.
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s archaeologist Andrew Nicholson, has explored the area and recorded many important ancient sites, helping to protect them when they are developed for commercial forestry or renewable energy projects.
D&G Woodlands have visited the area and are interested in the remnants of ancient woodlands and the indications that it was an example of Caledonian Rainforest. They see ways to nurture and expand this woodland going forward.
Galloway Fisheries Trust looks after the river Annan catchment and sees the Wamphray Water as having potential for riparian restoration, extending native tree planting along the Water to the west where it joins the River Annan. They are also interested in the potential restoration of peatland near the source of the Wamphray Water which could be restored for nature and climate.
Research
In the course of working on a proposal for the future of Wamphray Church, we have been in contact with communities across Scotland and Northern Ireland, both where churches have been sold privately and where they have been taken into community ownership. There are many examples of inspirational community projects which are writing a new chapter for these much-loved buildings. Sadly there are also too many examples of former churches, sold privately, which are empty, neglected and disrespected.
We are looking into various ways of generating income to secure the future of Wamphray Church, including a programme of events, and venue hire for life celebrations. We have been working with wedding celebrants to tap into their expertise around what couples are looking for in a venue for their special day and they have supported our belief that the romance, tranquility, beauty and peace of Wamphray Glen – yet its proximity to road and rail transport links, Wamphray village hall (for receptions) and Moffat (for accommodation and services) – makes it a perfect location.
One said: “I think it [Wamphray Church] has real potential, thanks to its size and setting, for weddings, and other life occasions. The church itself is beautiful and in a stunning location – photo opportunities galore! Scotland, and this region, are real destinations for weddings. It has rippled out from the Gretna Green effect! While I marry local couples, I also regularly marry couples from as far as the US and Canada, and from down south, and couples who have families from both sides of the border and who find Dumfries and Galloway the ideal place to come together for a celebration. Beautiful locations, and history, are often key to people choosing Scotland and D&G, too. The Outlander effect is very real!”
News & Events
Friends of Wamphray Church launched our campaign to bring Wamphray Church into Community ownership in January 2026 with a public event. We are and continue to be incredibly grateful to the local and national media for their coverage of campaign to protect this special place for future generations. The Church of Scotland have kindly given us 6 months to raise the funding to purchase the church and our funding target is currently at £45,000.
Please do contact us if you would like to find out more and follow our story.
Join us to find out more and become a friend of Wamphray Church
Address
Wamphray Parish Church
Newton Wamphray
Moffat
DG10 9NP
For more information or to make a pledge to help us secure the church for the future, use the contact form below.