Sweet Pea Kirk

In 1911 the Daily Mail ran a competition to find the best bunch of sweet peas in the country grown by an amateur gardener.

A top prize of £1000 was on offer, an amazing sum of money in those days, with a second prize of £100 and a third prize of £50 to be awarded. The Sprouston Parish minister, Mr Denholm Fraser, and his wife both sent off entries to the Crystal Palace in London. Out of 38,000 entries from all over the country, Mrs J.H. Fraser won the first prize of £1000 and Mr D.D.

Fraser came third and won £50, thus two out of the first three prizes came to the small village of Sprouston. In 1912 a chancel was built in the kirk from the winnings and the kirk has been known as the Sweet Pea Kirk ever since.