Moray HER - NJ22NW0069 - TOMBAE CHAPEL

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNJ22NW0069
NameTOMBAE CHAPEL
NRHE Card No.NJ22NW207
NRHE Numlink 196420
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. 8476
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Complete 2
Details Former Roman Catholic chapel (Parish Church of the Incarnation), burial ground and presbytery. The chapel was built in 1827-9, to a design by John Gall of Aberdeen, and although it was unfinished, it was opened for worship on February 2, 1829. The Rev James Gordon, the priest of Tombae, was responsible for fundraising and building the church, and lived in the farmhouse to the South-East (NJ22NW0011). The interior was completed and re-modelled by Bishop James Kyle, possibly with design assistance from Rev Walter Lovi, in 1843-4. It is a gothic church, orientated approximately East-West, with an entrance in the gabled West front. It is constructed of tooled pink granite ashlar masonry to the front and dressings, and harl pointed flanks and rear. It is an unusual plan, incorporating priest's quarters under the same roof. The 3-bay West front is delineated and flanked by stepped buttresses terminating with pinnacles, and has a coped and partially crenellated wallhead. There is a centre pointed-headed recessed entrance with a blank date stone above, narrow flanking 2-light windows and 3-light above the door, all with simple wooden tracery and lattice pane glazing. There are 3-bay flanks with windows, as in the West, at the extreme East the windows are divided vertically and half blind. There is a simple square-headed doorway in the North-East. The East gable has similar fenestration as the West, but with no buttresses and a small centre ground floor window. There are apex crosses and a slate roof. The Lofty vaulted interior is furnished with a simple entrance lobby with local flagstone floor, narrow side aisles, ribbed vaulting supported by timber panelled cast iron columns with decorative plaster capitals and matching corbel stones set in the aisle walls. The altar is set in a shallow chancel, and the West gallery houses an organ with decorated pipes. The area between chancel and East gable formerly served as the Presbytery, with access by a door in the North elevation, and is now empty. The graveyard is enclosed by a square rubble wall, dated 1843, and is home to a variety of 19th and 20th century tombstones, many of those of 19th century date being of finely inscribed local slate. The graveyard wall continues around the West front of the church, with a wide entrance flanked by simple capped gate piers. The presbytery is dated 1862, and is a simple single storey and attic, 3-bay West facing house. It is harled, with tooled ashlar dressings. This replaced the presbytery built in the North portion of the church dating to 1843. The churchyard contains the family vault of 'George Smith, Farmer and Distiller, Minmore, founder of the Glenlivet Distillery, died 27 Nov 1871 aged 75' (Glenlivet Distillery: NJ12NE0009). The River Livet was formerly spanned by a bridge opposite the West entrance. The presbytery is C listed, and the church and graveyard are A listed. Monumental inscriptions within the churchyard were recorded by the Moray Burial Ground Research Group in 2007-8.
Last Update12/01/2024
Updated Bycpalmer
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

Google Map for NJ22NW0069

National Grid Reference: NJ 2171 2567



Event Details

Event DateEvent TypeOASIS ID
2007 Survey
2008 Survey

Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
CHURCHES  A100
CHURCHYARDS  B100
PRESBYTERIES  C100
DRESSINGSASHLARTOOLEDD100
BUTTRESSES STEPPEDE100
WALLHEADS CRENELLATEDF100
COLUMNSCAST-IRON G100
CAPITALSPLASTERDECORATIVEH100
ALTARS  I100
CHANCELS SHALLOWJ100
GATEPIERS CAPPEDK100
GABLETS  L100
SKEWPUTTS  M100
ROOFSSLATE N100
GRAVEYARDSWALLED O100
WALLHEADS COPEDP100
ENTRANCES RECESSEDS100
DATESTONES BLANKQ100
WINDOWSWOODENTRACERIEDR100
WINDOWS BLINDT100
CROSSES APEXU100
FLOORSFLAGSTONE V100
ORGANS DECORATEDW100
TOMBSTONESSLATE X100
VAULTSFAMILY Y100