Building record MAB11023 - GRANGE PARISH CHURCH

Parish Church of Grange, built in 1795-6 close to the location of its predecessor.

Parish Church of Grange, built in 1795-6 close to the location of its predecessor. In 1888, A and W Reid, Elgin, built additions and re-cast the church. The earlier church stood in the present burial ground (NJ45SE0012), and was reported as ruinous in 1795. The site was chosen in preference to the earlier church site because ground was firmer. The church is sited on mounded, partially moated site called 'Castlehill' and was formerly occupied by tower house built by Abbot Thomas of Kinloss Abbey (NJ06SE0002) in 1525, who died there in circa 1537. The lands were granted to the Abbots of Kinloss in 12th century, who built a monastery here in late 12th to early 13th century. The present church a plain rectangular church, with a 4-bay long South elevation with a completely blank North wall. It is harled, with tooled ashlar margins and the tooled rubble additions also have ashlar dressings. There is a 1795 bellcote at the West gable apex, and a ball finial at the East. There are four large round-headed windows that light the South elevation with lattice-pane glazing and surviving shutter hooks, and a gallery window at the East. The roof is built from local slate. There is a later porch at the West gable, and a vestry at the East. The porch is a 2-storey, single bay porch, with a doorway in the North face and a window above. There are ground and first floor windows in the West elevation with 2-pane glazing. It has a string course and a corniced wallhead. The interior is re-cast to the East, with gallery at the West with a panelled front, which is possibly re-used panelling from an earlier gallery. The gallery is supported by cast-iron columns. The organ and pulpit are at the East end, and there is plain pine seating and dado and a lowered and boarded ceiling. The church is enclosed at the North and North-West by a coped rubble wall. The entrance at the North-West is flanked by simple square gate piers with plain square caps linked to lower similar end piers by quadrants. A site visit by SUAT 2001, as part of a survey of monastic granges, noted that the moat was still visible on the West, North-West and, to a lesser extent, the South.

Period Notes
A monastery was built on the site in the late 12th century or early 13th century. A towerhouse was built in 1525. The parish split from Keith 1618, and the present parish church and bellcote was built in 1795-6 and recast in 1888. Its listed status was changed from a B to a C(S) on 24/03/1988.

Author unknown, 1799, OLD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT, 550 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1845.

CAMERON, JA, 1849, THE MONKS OF GRANGE, 106 (Bibliographic reference). SAB306.

SUAT, 2002, A GAZETTEER OF MONASTIC GRANGES IN SCOTLAND (Bibliographic reference). SAB1735.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, 213 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Record last edited

Jul 28 2022 2:17PM