Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland Highlands and Islands

Date 2007

Event ID 617646

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/617646

Telford Churches and Manses

After the victory over Napoleon at Waterloo, Parliament responded to an appeal which said ‘Let us show our thanks by immediately dedicating to God’s honour a number of free churches and chapels . . .’. The Highlands and Islands, with their scattered communities, were seen to be in much need of churches and manses and in July 1823 an Act was passed which led to the building of 32 churches and 43 manses from 1825–30. The sites chosen were all north of a line from Aberdeen to Lochgilphead to the Oa, on Islay, and from there 300 miles northwards to Shetland (see map, which omits two sites in Orkney and two in Shetland).

Telford was given the task of approving designs, which were to cost not more than £1500, and organising the work. He asked three of his surveyors William Thomson, Crinan Canal resident engineer, James Smith, Inverness architect and Joseph Mitchell, to submit designs which heamended, eventually approving Thomson’s.

The Thomson/ Telford church was a clever design, being easily adaptable from its basic plan to increase or decrease the seating; the standard design was to seat 312. The manses came in two styles, single-storey (Smith/Telford) and two-storey (Mitchell/Telford). Both churches and manses were to be durable and sufficiently robust to keep out the worst of the Highland weather.

The churches were constructed by various contractors and generally in keeping with the approved plans. Over the years, however, changes of use, modifications and alterations have taken place, and some of the churches are barely recognisable as ‘Telford’ or ‘Parliamentary’.

R Paxton and Jim Shipway 2007b

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.