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Achimenach, Reay Free Church And Walled Memorial
Church (19th Century) - (Late 20th Century) (1844)-(1985), Commemorative Monument (Period Unassigned), School (Period Unassigned), Wall (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Achimenach, Reay Free Church And Walled Memorial
Classification Church (19th Century) - (Late 20th Century) (1844)-(1985), Commemorative Monument (Period Unassigned), School (Period Unassigned), Wall (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Shebster United Free Church; Shebster School
Canmore ID 101239
Site Number ND06SW 151
NGR ND 02440 64039
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/101239
- Council Highland
- Parish Reay
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Caithness
- Former County Caithness
Double pile, double aisle church with symmetrical twin gabled south front. Tooled rubble south front, tooled ashlar dressings, harl pointed rubble flanks and rear. Paired round-headed centre doors, flanked by 4 round-headed windows; bandcourse at eaves level links skewputts; blind Gothic window in each gable; octagonal bellcote corbelled from square plinth
rises from central valley, centre front, with octagonal facetted and finialled spire; octagonal apex stacks. 5-sided Minister's porch projects from centre of west elevation, with Tudor headed doorway and windows; tall corniced ridge stack. Caithness slate roofs; ball finials to rear gable apexes. Interior; plain interior now divided into two down centre.
Short memorial obelisk stands in front of church within rubble walled enclosure; front quadrants with centre entrance with double wooden gates and pair plain Caithness slab gate piers. (Historic Scotland)
Note (29 May 2025)
A church is depicted and annotated 'Free Church' on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Caithness 1877, sheet X), but is unroofed on the orthoimagery provided by Bluesky International Ltd. OS 1km map square ND0264 flown on 29 May 2021.
The school is depicted to the W of the church (ND 02387 64017) on the 1st edition map but but the building is not shown as a school on the OS 1:10,560 map (1959). The latest OS Mastermap suggests that the school building has been demolished and a private house now occupies the site.
Information from HES 29 May 2025
