St Colmac's Church is a ruined 19th-century church in St Colmac, north-east of Ettrick Bay, on the Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Built in 1835, it is now a Category B listed structure, as are its kirkyard, boundary wall, gatepiers and gates.[1]
| St Colmac's Church | |
|---|---|
 The ruins in 2011, looking northeast | |
 | |
| 55°51′35″N 5°06′44″W / 55.85980°N 5.11217°W | |
| Location | St Colmac, Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute |
| Country | Scotland |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Colmac |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | John Paterson |
| Architectural type | Gothic |
| Completed | c. 1835 |
What is now known as Cnoc an Raer, the former manse of the church, is located about 600 feet (180 m) to the west, built around the same time.[2] Both properties are believed to have been built by John Paterson, a "very able builder and skilled mason"[3] of Largs.[4] They stand on the northern side of the B875 road,[5] the church in a triangular plot of land with a minor road bounding it on its northern side.
Now gutted, the church's interior had an "unusual" arrangement, per photographs in the possession of the National Monuments Record of Scotland, with a full-length common communion table running east-to-west down the centre of the church, flanked by timber pews. West-facing box pews lined the side aisles. According to the handbook of the Scottish Vernacular Buildings Working Group, the communion table was made when required by converting pew ends.[1]
Kirkyard edit
A Celtic cross that is often associated with a nearby Bronze Age stone circle is located in front of the church tower. A well-known tourist attraction, and often associated together, they were built several thousand years apart.[6]
A modern, adjacent cemetery (North Bute Parish Churchyard) is located to the east of the 19th-century kirkyard.
Ruinous detail edit
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The interior western wall, 2008 -
The western elevation of the church -
The modern cemetery (not part of the listed status), looking west back to the church
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References edit
- ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland. "ST COLMAC'S CHURCH INCLUDING GRAVEYARD, BOUNDARY WALL, GATEPIERS AND GATES (LB18283)".
- ^ St Colmac's Church, Bute – British Listed Buildings
- ^ Essay on Curling and Artificial Pond Making, J. Cairnie (1833)
- '^ 'The London Gazette, Part 4 (1847), p.3778
- ^ Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Francis Hindes Groome (1901)
- ^ Hamish Haswell-Smith (2008). The Scottish Islands: The Bestselling Guide to Every Scottish Island. Canongate. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-84767-277-3.