Johnstone Mausoleum, Alva Old Kirkyard

The church of St Serf was rebuilt in 1632 but was abandoned in the 1980s when the congregation merged with that of the Eadie Church. It was demolished after a fire in 1985. Its ‘footprint’ and some inscribed stones remain, along with some interesting early gravestones in the kirkyard. The Erskine family, cousins of the Earls of Mar, had a burial vault beneath the church and there is a plaque in memory of Dr Robert Erskine (1677-1718), who was Chief Physician to Tzar Peter the Great.

The Johnstone Mausoleum was designed by Robert and James Adam for John Johnstone (1734–1795), who bought the Alva estate from James Erskine, Lord Alva, in 1775. Johnstone built the mausoleum c1790, following the death of his wife. Columns of the Greek Doric order flank the entrance, supporting a triangular pediment. It is one of only four Adam mausolea in Scotland. Johnstone, his wife and several of their descendants are buried in the original mausoleum: an eastern extension was added in the 19th century to accommodate additional burials. The mausoleum has been restored and a glass roof has replaced the pitched roof of the 19th century extension.

The Old Kirkyard was restored as part of the Historic Kirkyards Trail project of the Ochils Landscape Partnership programme.