Moray HER - NJ26SE0039 - URQUHART PARISH CHURCH

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNJ26SE0039
NameURQUHART PARISH CHURCH
NRHE Card No.NJ26SE37
NRHE Numlink 16552
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. 14876
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Complete 2
Details Former Parish Church, built in 1842-3 costing £2000, and converted to a dwelling in the 1990s. When it was sold by the Trustees of the Church of Scotland in the 1990s, the new owner changed the name to Parrandier. It was designed to be of an ornamental character, being intended to be erected on an eminence which is seen from Innes House. The design, in the style of Gillespie Graham, is attributed to Alexander Reid. However, he had inherited the architectural practice from his uncle, William Robertson, a year before, so it is probably Robertson's design. It is unusually orientated North/South, and it stands on high ground, known as Gas Hill, on a site selected by the Earl of Fife. The church was built to replace an earlier building sited by the present burial ground in village (NJ26SE0100), and is visible from Innes House (NJ26NE0001), property of the principal Heritor the Earl of Fife. It is a Gothic church, with 6-bay buttressed long East and West elevations. It is harled, with extensive use of tooled ashlar. The gabled South entrance front has an engaged 3-stage square tower with angle buttresses, a crenellated wallhead and angle pinnacles, and it was reduced in height in 1953. There is a hoodmoulded round-headed entrance in the base of the tower, with cusped panelled double leaf doors. There is a tall window above the entrance with a decorated hoodmould. There are round-arched louvred belfry openings in upper stage of tower. Long Gothic pointed-headed traceried windows flank the tower in the South gable, and there is similar fenestration in the East and West buttressed elevations, with a blind window in each end bay. Lattice-pane glazing is used. There are stepped angle buttresses at each corner terminating at the pinnacle, wallhead parapets, an apex cross at the North gable and a slate roof. A small lanceted chancel and lean-to vestry at the North gable was added, along with a reconstruction of the interior, by J. Alistair Ross in 1931. Prior to the conversion to a dwelling, the interior detail included a panelled South gallery, 1931 pews and pulpit, an open timber roof which replaced an earlier plaster ceiling, and a 1751 mural monument to the Rev Robert Tod from the earlier church.
Last Update03/04/2024
Updated Bycherbert
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

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National Grid Reference: NJ 2848 6329



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Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
CHURCHESPARISH A100
TOWERSBELLCRENELLATEDB100
CHANCELS LANCETTEDC100
CROSSES APEXD100
CHURCHESASHLARTOOLEDH100
BUTTRESSESANGLE I100
WALLHEADS CRENELLATEDJ100
PINNACLESANGLE K100
ENTRANCES HOOD-MOULDEDL100
ENTRANCES ROUND-HEADEDM100
DOORS PANELLEDN100
DOORS DOUBLE-LEAFEDO100
OPENINGSBELFRYLOUVREDP100
OPENINGS ROUND-ARCHEDQ100
WINDOWS BLINDR100
GLAZINGLATTICE S100
VESTRIES LEAN-TOT100
PARAPETSWALLHEAD E100
WINDOWS TRACERIEDF100
WINDOWS GOTHICG100