page_title: Forfar
section_title: Places of worship
hierarchical_section_title: Forfar / Places of worship
caption_attribution_description: English: Forfar High Street with East and Old Parish Church Scotland
context_page_description: Forfar is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council. It has a population of 14,048.
  Forfar dates back to the temporary Roman occupation of the area, and was subsequently held by the Picts and the Kingdom of Scotland. It was occupied by the English before being recaptured by the Scots and presented to Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. Forfar has been both a traditional market town and a major manufacturing centre for linen and jute. Today the main activities are agriculture and tourism around scenic Strathmore. The local glens are visited by hill-walkers, and there are ski-slopes in the mountains. The town has a League One football club, Forfar Athletic and a National League rugby team, the Strathmore Silverbacks.
  The Forfar bridie, a Scottish meat pastry snack, is traditionally identified with the town.
context_section_description: Forfar has three Church of Scotland congregations:
  East and Old Church, originally the parish kirk, with a tall slender spire, with steeple clock overlooking the town centre.  It is a category B listed building and was refurbished in early 2017.  The church is situated in the town centre and offers a mixture of traditional and contemporary worship.
  Lowson Memorial Church, off Montrose Road. This is a category A listed church in late Scots Gothic style built in 1914 by A Marshall Mackenzie, who also designed Crathie Kirk. The church contains notable stained glass windows by Douglas Strachan. The church serves the east side of Forfar, and provides a mix of traditional and contemporary styles of worship.
  St Margaret's Church, in the West High Street, originally a Free Kirk.
  It had been decided (by a Church of Scotland arbiter) that the East and Old Parish Church would close, and the congregation would be moving to St. Margaret's Church. This was brought back for discussion at Angus Presbytery due to a large vote against this decision. Now the East and Old and St Margaret's are to remain individual churches as they have always have been.
  The East & Old Church is built on the site of the original place of worship that some of the monks of Restenneth Priory built hundreds of years before the one today. The adjoining graveyard has famous 'residents' such as botanist George Don, quite a few scholars and a man who blamed the witches of Forfar for poisoning him after ill words were exchanged between them.
  The steeple is a focal point of Forfar, visible when entering the town from any direction. Although abutting the East & Old building, it is owned by the 'Town' and is not formally part of the church property; it is all but certain to be retained following any disposal of the church building.
  The town also has churches of other denominations, including:
  St John the Evangelist Scottish Episcopal Church, East High Street, designed by Sir R Rowand Anderson and consecrated in 1881. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later to become Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, was confirmed in this church.
  St Fergus Roman Catholic Church.
  Forfar Community Church at Wellbraehead on part of the old school site.
  There is a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's witnesses
caption: Forfar East and Old Parish Church
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