Description

William Henderson of Aberdeen 1848-50. 3 x 3-bay symmetrical gothic former hall church of rectangular plan with concealed basement, and modern addition to N. Droved ashlar principal front and stugged sandstone side elevations. Projecting cills and chamfered reveals to pointed-arched windows.

S (ENTRANCE) GABLE: entrance door centred at ground; 2-leaf vertically-boarded timber door with 5-pane radial fanlight in 3-centred arch-head above. Pointed-arched window above, segmental-arched recess containing datestone with carved tree in gablehead. Gablehead surmounted by gabled ashlar bellcote with pointed-arched opening containing bell. Buttresses with crocketted finials framing centre bay, tall pointed-arched windows in outer bays.

SIDE (E AND W) ELEVATIONS: tall pointed-arched windows in evenly-spaced bays, rectangular basement windows in outer bays.

13-pane gothic traceried fixed-light in centre bay of S elevation, 6-pane timber fixed-lights elsewhere, some with hoppers. Purple-grey slate roof with ventilator plinth centring ridge, cast-iron gutters and downpipes with hoppers. Small apex stack with octagonal can at N gable.

BOUNDARY WALLS: harl-pointed rubble dwarf wall to Hillhead (S), surmounted by droved ashlar cope and cast-iron railing, square ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps flanking to left and right. Rubble walls with concrete cope to E and W.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building, no longer in use as such. After the union of the Church of Scotland with the United Free Church in 1929, St Olaf's was renamed Lerwick UF Church when the dissident minorities left from the union gathered to form their own congregation. St Olaf's then united with St Ringan's in 1931, and the congregation chose it for worship. St Olaf's was then given to St Columba's for use as a church hall, and renamed St Olaf's Hall. The extension of 1968 to the rear does not compromise the principal views of this crisply designed building, on its prominent corner site.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77770672

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)