Building record MAB11109 - ST RUFUS CHURCH, KEITH

St. Rufus parish church is a large church built between 1816-1819 in the Neo-Perpendicular Gothic style to a design by James Gillespie Graham.

St. Rufus parish church is a large church built between 1816-1819 in the Neo-Perpendicular Gothic style to a design by James Gillespie Graham. Alterations and additions to the church were carried out by A. and W. Reid on 8 June 1853 and further alterations, by James Matthews (Aberdeen), occurred on 28 April 1875. The church was probably refurbished between 1892-1902, carried out by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie.

The north and south elevations are long, five-bay, buttressed elevations, terminating at the west end with a four-stage tower. The church is constructed of mixed rubble, with tooled and polished sandstone ashlar dressings. At the east end is a central, shallow entrance porch with angle buttresses and a crenelated wall head, flanked by tall hoodmoulded windows (blind) and surmounted by a squat traceried window (partially blind). The long elevations feature set-off buttresses, with hoodmoulded, perpendicular, traceried windows and a crenelated wall head. The gables are crow-stepped, with a cross finial at the east end, and a slate roof.

The four-stage west tower features a crenelated wall head with crocketed angle pinnacles, and clock faces on the north, south, and east elevations, surrounded by ornate Gothic stonework. There are entrances at the north and south of the tower, and the northern entrance is blind. The tower also has angle buttresses and diminishing stages. There is an incised mason's mark present at the apex of the south entrance arch in the west tower, below the 1816 date inscription. The bell in the tower is inscribed 'T. Mears of London fecit 1818'.

Inside the church, the entrance lobby at the east end has mirrored stairs leading to a horse-shoe gallery, supported by cast-iron cluster columns, with a cusped panelled front that has a centre gilded Seafield coat-of-arms. There is an organ in a carved case at the west, fronted by a carved and panelled rectangular pulpit that is reached by a short flight of steps with a brass handrail. There is a mural aumbry dating to circa 1500, said to be from the Sacrament House of the Medieval Keith Church (MAB11111) which the present church replaced, has been re-set in the west wall to the left of the pulpit. The Aumbry is initialled 'IO' for James Ogilvie, with a worn inscription and infilled with a carved monogram and possibly a former finial.

The church is surrounded by coped rubble walls. The entrance is flanked with square ashlar gate piers with pyramidal caps, supporting a pair of cast-iron carriage gates.

HOWAT, AJ, 1901, CHURCHES IN MORAY, 31 (Bibliographic reference). SAB729.

HAY, G., 1957, THE ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTTISH POST-REF CHURCHES, 141,251 (Bibliographic reference). SAB720.

MCKEAN, C, 1987, MORAY: AN ILLUSTRATED ARCHITECTURAL GUIDE, 140 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1142.

Aug 30 2006 , AAS/06/3/DG584-5, 592, AAS/06/3/DG584-5, 592 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB30791.

Jan 29 2013 , AAS/GR/13/01/001-026, AAS/GR/13/01/001-026 (Ground Photograph). SAB30793.

Author unknown, n.d., ABERDEEN DAILY JOURNAL, 28/04/1875 (Bibliographic reference). SAB23.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, 391 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Record last edited

Jul 27 2026 2:49PM