Building record MAB11623 - ST PETERS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, BUCKIE

Roman Catholic church and presbytery.

Roman Catholic church and presbytery. The church was built in 1851-7 to a design by Bishop James Kyle and A. and W. Reid, architects, Elgin. In 1907, C. T. Menart, architect, added the chancel to the East, and the alter and baptistery, and various alterations and repairs have been carried out over the years. It is constructed from red sandstone, with contrasting tooled ashlar dressings. The church has a large Gothic West front with twin towers. The towers are in two stages, and are square with small set back buttresses in the corners. There are narrow pointed arch openings in the lower stage, and larger traceried windows above. The towers have tall stone facetted spires with dormer windows at the base and angle pinnacles. The Southern tower has a clock face in place of the West dormer window. Between the towers, there is a central pointed-headed recessed entrance with moulded reveals, nook shafts and trumeau (central pillar). There are paired cusped doorways with plank doors, and above there is a blind quatrefoil in the tympanum. Above the entrance there is a large, four-light geometric traceried window that fills the centre gable. The five-bay aisled nave is lit by triple pointed-headed clerestory lights. The slightly lower chancel to the East, built in 1907, is lit by similar but longer triple lights in the North and South elevations, with a gable rose window at the East, which was re-used from the earlier East gable of the nave. The nave has gable end cross finials, and there are slate roofs throughout. The church has a richly decorated aisled interior, with pointed-headed aisle arcades supported by diamond plan piers. A multi-coloured marble inlay decorates the chancel and reredos, and the pulpit has a carved Gothic wooden backboard and sounding board. There is a plain marble dado in the nave. There are the Stations of the Cross with carved wooden frames, simple wooden pews and a scissor brace roof. There is a First and Second World War memorial on the west wall at the rear of the church, designed by Cameron Macdonald and carved by Nicol Bros of Buckie, of Pieta of Carrera marble set within an ogee arch with flanking niches with pierced octagonal canopies. It was unveiled and dedicated 24 September 1922 by Bishop Bennett of Aberdeen. C. T. Menart designed the ornate marble high altar and reredos. The presbytery is a two-storey and attic, wide two-bay house at the North-East of the church, constructed from red sandstone, with contrasting tooled ashlar dressings. There is a gabled bay with a narrow shouldered lintel to the entrance, with a panelled door. There are three narrow first floor windows and a canted dormer at the West elevation, and a dormered window at the North elevation. There are coped ridge and wallhead stacks, and a slate roof. The church and presbytery are surrounded by a high coped rubble wall, with the church fronted by a low coped wall with spearhead railings with matching carriage gates, flanked by square gatepiers with simple caps and an overthrow. The entrance to the presbytery is a small pedestrian gate flanked by square gatepiers with pyramidal caps. The church is also known as 'The Buckie Cathedral'. Memorials within the church have been recorded by the Moray Burial Ground Research Group. Prior to the construction of the church the Catholic congregation had leased the Buckie Trades Hall as a place of worship 1832-1857.

Period Notes
Built in 1851-57 and altered in 1907, when the chancel was added to the East. Listed designation given on 22/02/1972.

Img 346, 347, Img 346, 347 (Ground Photograph). SAB36057.

HOWAT, AJ, 1901, CHURCHES IN MORAY, 8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB729.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2003, NEWSLETTER, Issue 13 p.7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5098.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2010, MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS: ST NINIAN'S CHURCHYARD (CANDLEFORD) AND ST PETER'S CHURCH, BUCKIE, ST GREGORY'S, PRESHOME (Bibliographic reference). SAB7659.

Author unknown, n.d., BANFFSHIRE ADVERTISER, 31/10/1907 (Bibliographic reference). SAB142.

Author unknown, n.d., ELGIN COURANT, 13/09/1850 (Bibliographic reference). SAB444.

Author unknown, n.d., ELGIN COURANT, 31/01/1851 (Bibliographic reference). SAB444.

Oct 7 2022 , PUB-GR-22-10-025 - 032, PUB-GR-22-10-025 - 032 (Ground Photograph). SAB36194.

Sep 17 2016 , AAS-GR-16-09-012 to 048, AAS-GR-16-09-012 to 048 (Ground Photograph). SAB35418.

Record last edited

Sep 5 2025 11:35AM