Building record MAB6128 - ST MARGARET'S CHURCH, ABERLOUR

Episcopal church and graveyard, associated with an orphanage run by the aegis of the Episcopal Church of Scotland.

Episcopal church and graveyard, associated with an orphanage run by the aegis of the Episcopal Church of Scotland. It was built in 1875-9 by Alexander Ross, Inverness. It is an early decorated Gothic style cruciform church oriented East-West, with narrow buttressed side aisles. It is constructed of pink tooled granite, with contrasting tooled ashlar dressings. The chancel is slightly lower, with transepts at the East. The five-bay aisled are lit by narrow paired cusped lights, and the nave clerestory has similar triple windows. The East gable of the chancel has long triple windows under a stepped continuous hoodmould, and there is geometric tracery in the West gable window. There is an 85 feet (26 metres) high octagonal bell tower at the South-West corner of the church, with a bell chamber lit by narrow louvred lancets and a facetted spire. The tower surmounts a gabled porch with a pointed-headed entrance. The entrance is flanked by polished granite nook shafts with stiff leaf capitals, and there is a statue of St Margaret of Scotland above the entrance, within an apex niche. There are angle buttresses and steeply pitched slate roofs. The church has a lofty aisled interior with a braced timber roof. The aisle arcade is supported by squat red Peterhead polished granite columns, rising from contrasting ashlar bases with richly carved capitals depicting flowers, foliage and fruit. The chancel is approached by a flight of steps, with gilded wrought-iron screen and a richly decorated white marble altar and reredos with arcaded sedilia against the wall. The chancel and side chapel was built in memory of Mr. Grant of Elchies. There is stained glass throughout the church, mostly by Baguley, Newcastle 1887-1909. There is a Caen stone font, with marble enrichment and a carved oak cover. The cover is from Christ church, Lancaster Gate, London, which was demolished in 1977. There is a circular stone pulpit by Davidson of Inverness from 1936, decorative floor tiles and various mural monuments. A partially walled graveyard surrounds the church, with a simple entrance flanked by tooled rubble gate piers. There are three grey granite foundation stones from the now demolished Aberlour Orphanage set by the entrance. Within the graveyard is a memorial (NJ24SE0075) erected to the memory of the 'Old Boys' who had been at the Aberlour Orphanage and who fell in the First and Second World Wars. Monumental inscriptions within the churchyard and memorial windows within the church have been recorded by the Moray Burial Ground Research Group.

Period Notes
Built 1875-9, stained glass from 1887-1909, pulpit from 1936. Listed designation given on 14/10/1986, and its status was changed from a B listing to an A listing on 09/11/1987.

Img 274-278, Img 274-278 (Ground Photograph). SAB36038.

HOWAT, AJ, 1901, CHURCHES IN MORAY, 2 (Bibliographic reference). SAB729.

MCKEAN, C, 1987, MORAY: AN ILLUSTRATED ARCHITECTURAL GUIDE, P.159 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1142.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2014, MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS: ABERLOUR OLD CHURCHYARD, NEW CEMETERY , PARISH CHURCH, EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WAR MEMORIALS (Bibliographic reference). SAB7654.

Apr 11 2014 , AAS-GR-14-04-045 - 113, AAS-GR-14-04-045 - 113 (Ground Photograph). SAB30847.

Aug 19 2017 , AAS-GR-17-08-043 - 052, AAS-GR-17-08-043 - 052 (Ground Photograph). SAB35659.

May 7 2017 , AAS-GR-17-05-211, AAS-GR-17-05-211 (Ground Photograph). SAB35604.

Author unknown, n.d., THE NORTHERN SCOT, 23/10/87 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1270.

Record last edited

Jan 18 2024 2:10PM