As you enter the churchyard, your main impression is of the huge papermill on the west bank of the River Don.
The irony is that a group of graves in the churchyard mark the last resting place of a number of members of the Tait family, the family which founded the papermill and owned it for 137 years. Sadly the papermill itself (from March 2009) now also lies at rest having been shut down by it's last owners who were an American company.
Kinkell Church was dedicated to St Michael, and built around 1520.
It is noted that there are a lack of windows and doors on the North wall, but perhaps the very large window on the east side compensated for this.
Kinkell Church closed in 1771 when the parish was split and divided between Kintore and Keithhall. The church was demolished in order to reuse some materials for the church at Keithhall.
Within the interior you will find a grave slab of yellow stone with the intricate carving of a knight. The knight depicted was Gilbert de Greenlaw who died at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411.
Two things are odd about the slab. One is the freshness of the carving, the other that the carving of Greenlaw stops just above his knees. Both are explained by the slab being reused for a member of the Forbes family in 1592. This led to it being cut down in size, but it also led to the 'knight' side of the stone being protected from the elements. Otherwise it would have become invisible due to weathering over the centuries. Information here was gathered from www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk and historic scotland websites.
To get to the church, follow the B993 road out of Inverurie towards Keithhall. You will see directions for the church. When you come to another junction go straight on towards Ardmurdo farm which is a dead end.
Cache is a film canister. Please replace securely as found.
I parked on a grassy area through a gate to the right just before the sign pointing to the church. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE BUSINESS CARDS IN CACHES. 07/11/2012 THERE IS MASONRY WORK BEING CARRIED OUT ON ONE OF THE CHURCH WALLS AT THE MOMENT. WORKMEN COULD BE PRESENT ON WEEKDAYS