The Many Hidden Treasures of Meigle Village
When you first arrive at Meigle it may strike you as a humble and simplistic village. However within this tiny little village there is a glorious historical treasure – the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum. The majority of visitors to the museum are just passing through for the day and many never truly experience the town’s real charm. Meigle, Scotland, is situated in Strathmore on the eastern border of Perthshire. It falls within the council area of Perth and Kinross and the nearest town to Meigle is Forfar.
The village of Meigle has been around for quite some time, although it has never had any real claim to fame other than the excellent examples of Pictish ruins which have been found nearby. History tells us a curious story when it comes to religion in this town. Apparently at one stage Meigle was home to a parish church, the Episcopalian church of St Margaret’s and a United Free church. This was quite unusual at the time – especially for such a small town. Over time the United Free church was abandoned and the St Margaret’s church was demolished leaving the town with only one church, the Parish Church, which continues to serve the community today despite being ravaged by a fire in the 1860s.
The beautiful examples of Pictish Ruins on display at the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum probably date back to the late 500s or early 600s when Christianity was starting to reach the hearts and minds of the Pictish nation. This is evident in the depiction of Daniel in the Lion’s Den on one of the stones – a stone which measures some 8 ft in height. Most of the stones have been found in the surrounding area and have been brought to Meigle to be put on display at the museum. The museum is housed in the old school and there is a collection of more than 30 different stones. There is a saying in Meigle that ‘every stone has a story to tell’. If you look deep enough, you will find that this is true not only of the ruins but also of the buildings in the village and of the farm houses. Visitors who want to spend more than a day in Meigle, often choose to stay at one of the many working farms nearby. Even some of these farms have little stony treasures worth exploring and they can add to your stay in Meigle in many different ways.
