Church purchase plan would honour 'Scotland's forgotten Einstein'

In a small south of Scotland village you can find the grave of a giant figure in the scientific world.

James Clerk Maxwell's final resting place is in the church graveyard at Parton - situated about midway between Castle Douglas and New Galloway.

Described as "Scotland's forgotten Einstein", his work paved the way for many of the modern devices we take for granted, such as mobile phones, radio and television.

However, the area faces an uncertain future with Parton Kirk no longer needed by the Church of Scotland and potentially going up for sale on the open market.

Born in Edinburgh in 1831, Clerk Maxwell moved to Glenlair in Dumfries and Galloway as a child.

He attended university in both Edinburgh and Cambridge where his scientific talent was soon recognised.

The concept of electromagnetic radiation originated with Clerk Maxwell and is credited as paving the way for Einstein's special theory of relativity.

He died in Cambridge in 1879 but was buried back in southern Scotland.

Like many churches across the region and beyond, Parton Kirk is surplus to requirements but the local community has been offered the chance to buy it.

However, they need to raise £50,000 by 1 November in order to do so.

Paul Hodson, who chairs the community council, said it was a situation they had been preparing for for some time.

"We have been looking at this since 2008 as we knew this day was coming," he said.

A few years ago a feasibility report was produced into a potential future use.

"We would like to see the building retained and put to use as a Clerk Maxwell Science and Community Centre as part of a wider regional development of the science offering and tourist route - rather than just for the Parton community itself," Hodson said.

A meeting is being held in the village to assess the level of local support.

However, Hodson said there was no doubt that the prominent scientist deserved to be better known.

"He's known as the father of modern science," he said.

"He developed the theory of electromagnetic waves and he came up with the mathematical formula to explain them.

"So all our modern communications are based on Clerk Maxwell's work.

"He died young - so that's why we don't remember him in the same way that we do Einstein - but all the later physicists' works are based on Maxwell's foundations."

If there is enough backing from locals, the fundraising will begin in earnest to try to ensure the plans can proceed.

"We have to start with a will," said Hodson.

"It's never about the money - I think if you have the will, you can move mountains, and the money will come.

"But without that will, we might as well stop at this stage."

A Church of Scotland spokesman confirmed it had agreed to offer a deal to the community and had allowed it until 1 November to raise the necessary funds.

"Failing this, Parton Kirk, which is currently still in use as a place of worship, will be placed on the open market," he said.

"The congregation of Parton Kirk is now part of new union of churches known as Galloway Dee linked with Glenkens, which is in the process of preparing to call a new minister."

Last year, nearly a third of all church buildings sold by the Church of Scotland went to community groups.

The sale proceeds are held for the benefit of newly formed congregations to cover the costs of maintaining, refurbishing and developing other buildings they own.