St Marys Old Parish Church, Dairsie
Archbishop John Spottiswood owned the castle here for a time. There has been a parish church adjacent to the castle since at least the 1160’s, but in 1621 the archbishop decided to rebuild it as a model of what a church fitted for reformed episcoplian worship should be. The result is a hodgepodge of Gothic and Classical styles. Dairsie was a buttressed aisle-less rectangle and the tracery on the windows imitates designs in medieval churches. It was given a handsome classical frontispiece to the entrance and a bell turret was built out at one angle. Much of the internal arrangements were removed following a damning report by the presbytery in 1648 during the period of civil war. The church is no longer in public use and is owned by the St Andrews Preservation Trust. Just below the church is Dairsie Bridge c 1530 which spans the River Eden. It has 3 round arches .
