St Ninian's Church, Glen Urquhart, Aird and Loch Ness, Highland

Entry Name: St Ninian's Church, Glen Urquhart

Listing Name: Glenurquhart, St Ninians Episcopal Church

Listing Date: 8 January 1988

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 348522

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB15018

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200348522

Location: Urquhart and Glenmoriston

County: Highland

Electoral Ward: Aird and Loch Ness

Parish: Urquhart And Glenmoriston

Traditional County: Inverness-shire

Tagged with: Church building

Description

Alexander Ross, circa 1851. Simple rectangular plan church with shallow crowstepped east projection and vestry projecting to south. Mainly harled, rubble east wall. Crowstepped bellcote at west.

Simple lancet window, three to north and south, three stepped to east, two to west. Round arched door possibly incorporating earlier masonry. The east windows feature abstract stained glass with a central cross designed by Emma Shipton in 1986.

V-plan oriel window in south vestry wall.

Interior: rafter and arch-braced roof, tie beam at chancel.

Altar incorporates early medieval stone with St Ninian's cross set in a panel.

Art nouveau iron work to early 20th century churchyard gate.

Statement of Interest

The ordnance survey name book for the county of Inverness dating from the 1870s records that the church had a thatched roof at that time.

Removal of the harling during conservation works in 2017 found that the church was also built using reclaimed stonework.

The stone set into the altar is said to have originated from a demolished church at the east end of Glen Urquhart and moved to St Ninian's in the 1960s.

Inverness-based Alexander Ross (1834-1925) was a foremost architect in the Highlands and Islands, building extensively in the region through the second half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries. He was particularly noted for his school buildings, and is thought to have designed around 450 of these. St Ninan's Glenurquart was the first commission of his career and the Scottish Episcopal Church went on to become one of his principal patrons. Ross's later work for the Scottish Episcopal Church included the substantial commissions of the Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Inverness, designed in 1866, (LB35330) and St Margaret's Episcopal Church, Aberlour of 1875-79, (LB20872).

Listed building record revised in 2019.

External Links

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