Linlithgow ‘Crown of Thorns’ restored to gold

An iconic church spire in Linlithgow, West Lothian, is once again gleaming golden following the successful completion of a £400,000 restoration project.

The Crown of Thorns spire of St Michael’s Parish Church has undergone a thorough refurbishment to repair extensive rot in its structural timbers and replace the external cladding.

The new cladding, a bronze alloy, returns the spire’s colour to the golden glow of the original structure which was erected in 1964. This time, however, the gold is here to stay, aided by modern sealing technology designed to keep the Scottish weather at bay for decades to come.

The Rev Dr Liam Fraser, minister of St Michael’s, said: “Sixty years on from the installation of the spire in 1964, the excitement this project has generated locally is astonishing. Linlithgow’s Facebook groups have been awash with images of the renewed spire as it has emerged from the scaffolding.

“Both a beloved symbol of the town and a representation of Christ’s Crown of Thorns, it speaks to people in many different ways: of certainty, of renewal, and even of eternity. But the most common reactions on the street at present are simply ‘Wow!’ or ‘Amazing!’.”

Leader of the church’s Aspire Linlithgow fundraising programme, Alan Miller, said: “We focused on the spire as the first stage of St Michael’s planned £5 million fundraising journey because we believed it would attract wide interest. But the level of support from the community has far exceeded even our expectations. Through donations from £5 to five figures, and the community’s enthusiastic response to a mix of engaging events, close to £220k has been raised to add to the £170k received in grant funding.

“We are hugely grateful to our grant funders Historic Environment Scotland (£90.4k), The Church of Scotland General Trustees (£40k), The Scottish Landfill Trust (£30k) and the Pilgrim Trust (£10k). But everyone who has donated in any way should feel a sense of pride that their contribution is reflected in the gleam of the renewed spire”.