Moray HER - NJ24SE0019 - ST MARGARET'S CHURCH, ABERLOUR

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNJ24SE0019
NameST MARGARET'S CHURCH, ABERLOUR
NRHE Card No.NJ24SE48
NRHE Numlink 181189
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. 20872
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Complete 1
Details 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.
Last Update18/01/2024
Updated Bycpalmer
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

Google Map for NJ24SE0019

National Grid Reference: NJ 2719 4312



Event Details


Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
WINDOWSMEMORIAL AH100
MEMORIALSWAR H100
MEMORIALSWORLD WAR I I100
MEMORIALSWORLD WAR II J100
CLERESTORIES  L100
WINDOWS HOOD-MOULDEDM100
SPIRES FACETTEDN100
PORCHES GABLEDO100
CAPITALSLEAF P100
NICHES APEXQ100
FINIALSCROSSAPEXR100
ROOFSSLATE S100
ROOFSTIMBERBRACEDT100
ARCADES  U100
COLUMNSGRANITEPOLISHEDV100
SCREENSWROUGHT-IRON W100
ALTARSMARBLEDECORATEDX100
WINDOWSSTAINED-GLASS Y100
FONTSSTONE Z100
COVERS OAKAA100
PULPITSCIRCULAR AB100
PULPITSSTONE AC100
TILESFLOORDECORATEDAD100
MONUMENTSMURAL AE100
GRAVEYARDSWALLED AF100
GATEPIERSRUBBLETOOLEDAG100
CHURCHESRUBBLE-BUILTEPISCOPALIANA100
TOWERSOCTAGONAL B100
TOWERSBELL C100
WINDOWS TRACERIEDD100
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