Description

Possibly William Stirling, dated 1824; end porches and renovation 1884. Piend-roofed, 5-bay, rectangular-plan church with slim 4-stage pagoda-roofed tower. Ashlar. Base and eaves courses; raked courses and deep mutuled eaves cornice to tower. Pointed-arch openings; corbels, voussoirs; stone transoms and mullions; chamfered arrises to porches.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Tower (see below) projecting at centre bay with almost full-height windows to flanking bays, that to left of centre margined and part-blocked, that to outer left Y-traceried and 4-light mullioned, both windows to right blocked.

TOWER: 1st stage with blocked door below blinded tall traceried fanlight to W and blocked windows to S and E, all giving way to corbelled course and 2nd stage with fielded panel worded 'This Church was built 1824 / The Rd James Johnstone Minister / William Macpherson Esq laid the Foundation Stone' and 4-light mullioned Y-traceried window to S, blinded window to W and blocked window to E. Reduced 3rd stage with canted angles and louvered opening to each elevation giving way to set-back arcaded belfry at 4th stage and surmounted by weathervane-finialled, slated, wide-eaved, pagoda roof

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: low crenellated porch to centre with boarded timber door and blocked fanlight on return to right, top of blocked window behind and windows in flanking bays, that to right blinded, that to left blocked.

W ELEVATION: mirrors the above but all windows blocked.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: small lean-to brick extension at centre and blocked windows in flanking bays.

Some diamond-pattern leaded glazing pattern retained and window to left at S with some coloured glass panels. Grey slates. 2 rectangular ridge ventilators, 1 retaining pyramidal cap.

INTERIOR: galleried (ceiling lowered to gallery height) to N, E and W, with clustered cast-iron columns, panelled blind-arcaded gallery fronts and some panelled dadoes. Moulded plasterwork cornices and roof ventilators and decorative ceiling rose. Stone staircases.

BOUNDARY WALLS, GATEPIERS AND GATES: semicircular-coped rubble boundary walls, flat-coped square-section ashlar gatepiers to S and similar gablet-coped gatepiers to W, both with 2-leaf decorative ironwork gates.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building no longer in use as such. Formerly listed as 'Hill Church of Scotland, Hill of Blair'. The graveyard is listed separately. Heritors' records missing. Formerly the parish church, the building is now (2002) used as a store. The Rev Mr Henney refers to the tradition that Blairgowrie and Rattray churches were by same architect, namely William Stirling. Built on the site of an earlier church at the old 'mercait gate' which, prior to the Reformation, belonged to the Abbey of Scone. Group with Hill Church, Graveyard.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17830929

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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